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Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Improv in the Kitchen


Our crockpot is currently out of commission. I've been avoiding all crockpot recipes for a long time because of this. But today I really had a craving for a favorite crockpot recipe. I knew there had to be another way.

The dish I wanted to make wasn't one that could be simmered on the stove though. So a quick google search told me the standard temperatures that most crockpots cook at on high and low. (For those of you that are curious, high is 200 - 250 degrees, low is 150 -200 degrees.)

I decided I could easily improvise. I covered my baking dish with foil and set it in the oven at 220 degrees for 6 hours. It turned out perfectly and just like I remembered.

I'm sure cooking this way isn't as frugal as using a crockpot, but it served its purpose today. That definitely worked for me. (And hey, maybe it was frugal if our heat didn't run as much from having the oven on...right?)

The recipe I made is very similar to this Creamy Mushroom Chicken recipe that I've shared before. I found the original recipe about 10 years ago in a Taste of Home magazine. It called for 4 chicken breasts, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 c. sour cream, 1 t. thyme and 5 slices cooked and crumbled bacon. The whole thing was cooked in a crockpot for 6-8 hours on low. My recipe above is my from-scratch version of that recipe. But when cooked in a crockpot, or in the oven for 6 hours, the texture of the chicken is incredible.

Head over to Rocks In My Dryer for more WFMW.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can't live without my crockpot. Or so I thought until I read this. Now I believe I could survive if I really, really had to.

Yay, you! Great WFMW!

Anonymous said...

yes, crockpots are great -- if you plug them in. I prepared a GREAT recipe this morning for a chicken recipe with all kinds of spices (cardamom, garlic, garam masala, ginger). I plugged in the crock and left the house for four hours. When I returned, I expected to be greeted by a wonderful spicy scent. Nothing. Walked over the crockpot, touched it -- cold. Looked at the outlet -- I'd plugged my rice cooker in instead. OOPS. Luckily, I had a casserole in the fridge that I could throw on the stove. Luckier still, my house is incredibly cold, so I was able to salvage the chicken.

Anonymous said...

I don't have a crockpot but I love the idea of cooking and leaving it. I think I'll try this soon.

Brooke said...

i love my crockpot. maybe you'll get a new one for Christmas!