get out the crock pot

I have been wanting a little more ease in the kitchen lately, so why I had my crock pot on the pantry shelf for the past month, I do not know. It is a no-brainer for days when you don't want to spend so much time in the kitchen.

Tonight I pulled it out along with a little cookbook called 101 Things To Do With A Slow Cooker, where I decided to give this recipe a try...of course I couldn't follow it exactly so I included my variations {1 can soup instead of 2, milk and water instead of evaporated milk and apple juice-?, arborio instead of 'converted white rice'-huh-?, and it was my idea to add the broccoli and topping, otherwise recipe suggested serving with Caesar salad and crusty bread}.

I am sharing this recipe because, although basic {chicken and rice}, while I just wanted something easy, I also got surprisingly good taste and the family's approval, too. This dish has hearty flavor with the onion seasoning, pepper and parmesan cheese, and creamy consistency, as the arborio itself is a creamy rice used in risotto.

Chicken Parmesan {Slow Cooker-Style}










4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 packet dry onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup, condensed {plus 1 soup can milk & 1 soup can water}
1 cup arborio rice
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
2-3 cups frozen broccoli
crushed croutons or breadcrumbs for topping

Add the ingredients to the crock pot in the order presented, except the broccoli and topping. Cover and cook on high 4-6 hours, or on low 8-10 hours. About a half hour before serving, add the broccoli in and stir, top with croutons or breadcrumbs, cover and cook for 30 minutes or until broccoli is heated through.

Makes 4-6 servings.