Cooking in your slow cooker is perfect for winter. Slow cookers are awesome and they’re like magic pots that transform ordinary food to wonderful. Cooking with a slow cooker is really easy. You just prep the ingredients, put them in your slow cooker and let it do all the work. Your dinner will be waiting when you get home.
Here are 3 amazing slow cooker recipes that you’ll absolutely adore:
1. French Onion Soup
Ingredients:
- 4 thinly sliced onions
- 3 minced garlic cloves
- 4 tbsp. butter
- 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar
- 3 tbsp. flour
- 8 oz. of beer
- 64 oz. low-sodium beef stock
- 2 tbsp. fresh thyme
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- ½ tsp. salt
- French bread
- Sliced gruyere cheese
Preparation:
Set the cooker on high. Add the onions, garlic, butter, brown sugar, salt and balsamic. Mix until everything is combined and let it cook for 1 hour. Stir occasionally. When the onions get brown on the edges, add the flour. Stir and let it sit for 5 minutes. Add in the beer, beef stock, pepper and thyme. Turn the heat down to low and cook for 6-8 hours. Top your soup with a slice of French bread and some cheese.
2. Honey Garlic Chicken
Ingredients:
- 3 large skinless chicken breasts
- ½ cup honey
- ½ soy sauce
- ¼ cup blackberry jam
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 3 minced cloves garlic
- ½ cup diced onion
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
- Sliced scallions- for garnish
- Sesame seeds- for garnish
Preparation:
Put the chicken breasts in the slow cooker. In a bowl, mix the honey, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, blackberry jam, onions and garlic and pour the mixture over the chicken. Cook on low heat for 4-5 hours. Remove the chicken from the cooker and shred it to small pieces. Put the shredded chicken in a big bowl. In another, small bowl mix the cornstarch with some cold water. Take the liquid out from the cooker, put it in a saucepan and add the cornstarch. Cook the liquid until it thickens and turns into a sauce. Pour the sauce over the shredded chicken and top it with some sesame and sliced scallions.
3. Maple Bacon Beer Baked Beans
Ingredients:
- ½ lbs. pinto beans
- ½ lbs. navy beans
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- 12 oz. stout beer
- ½ lbs. chopped bacon
- 1 chopped sweet white onion
- 3 tbsp. molasses
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 1 tsp. mustard powder
- 1 ½ cups hot water
Preparation:
In a big pot, put the beans and the soda and bring it to boil. Boil it for 5 minutes and then remove it from the stove. Let it soak for an hour and then drain it. Put the beans and all other ingredients in the slow cooker and let it cook for 10 hours. Add salt and pepper to taste.