So, tried making a new ‘recipe’ recently for chicken in my crockpot. I used wine (OOOOHHH!!!) hence the fancy schmancy label, since we almost never break out the wine anymore. Now that I’m teaching most nights again (and we have 2 kiddos instead of one) I’m looking for super tasty, easy meals that I can prep (and start) ahead of time and then Captain Awesome doesn’t have to cook while I’m out. So, Here’s this week’s (made up) recipe:
Chicken Eggplant ‘stew’
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 TBSP olive oil
1 large asian eggplant
1/2 an onion, chopped
6 cloves of garlic
1 tsp Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute
1/2 tsp salt
1 small container white mushrooms
6 medium roma tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 cups white wine (I used a 2009 BV Coastal Estates Chardonnay)
execution:
I put about half the olive oil in the bottom of the crockpot then put the chicken breasts on top. Sprinkle the salt and 21 seasoning salute on top of the chicken. I put the crockpot on high heat while I chopped the veggies because I put off cooking until later since my Koala had a doctor’s appointment in the morning.
Chop onion and add it. Cut up Eggplant in slices and loosely layer it on top. Slice Mushrooms and pile ‘em in. Cut up the tomatoes and dump them in too. Drizzle the second half of the olive oil over it. Then throw in the broth and wine.
Cooked on high for 4 hours (could probably do low for 6-8 hours).
When dinner time comes around, cook some pasta (we used brown rice-quinoa pasta) and serve over the pasta. Might as well finish the wine as well. And if you don’t have to deal with the kiddos, make it romantic, eh? Candles, pretty plates, the whole deal! :-P
What do you do on busy nights? How do you negotiate dinner if you don’t get home until (relatively) late? What about managing dinner with kids? Anyone else work late afternoon/evenings?
~E.S.
