Slow cooker dessert recipes

Want to save time and money? Then the slow cooker is for you! Yes, the handy little appliance which has been around since the early 1970's is making a comeback! In this day and age where most families have both partners working and have children as well, the slow cooker is more appealing than ever as it leaves valuable time to spend with children or friends whilst the food is cooking. By spending only 10 - 15 minutes preparing a meal first thing in the morning when you are still fresh, the slow cooker does the rest, gently cooking your meal over 8 - 10 hours. So when you have run out of steam - leave it to the slow cooker to prepare a delicious and nutritious meal.

Slow cooker chicken recipes are not only easy, but the variety of recipes is limitless as well as mouthwatering. These include chicken dumplings, chicken rice, baked continental chicken, chicken wings, chicken stroganoff, Coq au Vin, chicken with mushroom wine dressing, chicken cordon bleu, whole roast chickens, to name but a few. The chicken soups and stews are also ideal for the slow cooker and the use of herbs in slow cooker recipes adds wonderful flavor because the cooking process seems to intensify the flavor more so than conventional cooking methods.

Slow cooker recipes are also very economical as expensive fillets don't have to be used due to the slow cooking/ low temperature principle. Most chicken dishes use drumsticks, chicken pieces or whole chickens and because of the lengthy cooking times, these cuts turn into the most tender and delectable cuts full of flavor and aroma.

Whilst the good old chicken roast is one of the most popular slow cooker chicken dishes, there are many slow cooker recipes available which with a twist of modern ingredients turn simple recipes into very contemporary, and stylish meals. One such recipe is Chicken Pilaf with Sundried Tomato & Rocket. This dish uses either chicken breasts or chicken pieces. Modern ingredients such sun-dried tomato, basmati or wild rice make this a gourmet meal. This dish is also ideal if particularly busy as it will not be affected by over cooking if inadvertently cooked for longer than the specified time. You will however, need to top up the pot with a little extra hot chicken stock.

Chicken Pilaf with Sundried Tomato & Rocket

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 chicken pieces or 4 large chicken fillets (either breast or thigh)
1 large onion, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
410g (13 oz) can chopped tomatoes
60g (3 oz) sun-dried tomatoes drained and sliced (semi sun dried can also be used)
2 ½ teaspoons pesto sauce
600ml (1 pint) hot chicken stock
150g (50z) basmati rice
50g (20z) wild rice (if prefer to only use basmati rice, then extra 50g is required)
salt and pepper
Parmesan or Romano Cheese
rocket salad to serve
Method:
Preheat the slow cooker. Heat the oil in a frying pan or skillet. Fry the chicken until browned. Remove form the pan with a slotted spoon and reserve on a plate. Fry the onion and garlic together until soft. Add the canned tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes and pesto sauce. Season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Pour into the slow cooker, then stir in the hot stock.
Rinse the rice well, then stir into the slow cooker. Arrange the chicken pieces on top of the rice, pressing them just below the level of the liquid so that they don't dry out during cooking. Cover with the lid and cook on High for 2 ½- 3 hours until the chicken is thoroughly cooked and the rice is tender.
Spoon on to serving plates and serve sprinkled, shaved cheese and rocket salad.