It’s not a crock: easy crock pot chicken ‘n’ veggies

Nothing’s better than walking home to a fresh-cooked meal just for you. And for those of us who don’t have a personal chef—or a kitchen-inclined significant other—a crock pot can easily be your new best friend.

One of my favorite meals growing up was pot roast and veggies. This simple dish is one my father loved to make at home. You just buy a chuck roast, toss in veggies, add a dash of veggies—and go!

But as a cost-efficient cook, I opted to use vegetables sitting around in my kitchen and some uncooked chicken quarters (typically sold for 50 cents a pound).

Besides being a healthy alternative this crock pot chicken and vegetables recipe instantly turned into culinary fabulousness that’s lasted me for days.

Here is my “It’s not a crock! Easy crock pot chicken ‘n’ veggies.”

Ingredients:

• 3 large chicken quarter pieces, skin removed
• 5 carrots, sliced
• 4 individual stalks of celery, sliced into large pieces
• 2-3 potatoes, peeled and diced into large pieces
• ½ onion, sliced into large pieces
• 1 bay leaf
• ¼ c water
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Remove as much skin as you can from the chicken quarters. If you do not have chicken quarters, feel free to substitute with 4 chicken breasts instead. Make sure your meat is fully defrosted before cooking. Place in crock pot. Then add remaining ingredients. Cover crock pot with lid. Cook 5 hours on a low setting. Enjoy!

Yield: 3-5 servings

Special notes

• Feel free to use a wine, chicken broth or other liquid instead of water. Wines are very common with roasts. Don’t add too much water, as your chicken and vegetables provide a lot of moisture.
• After cooking, the juices from the meat can make an excellent gravy. Feel free separate the juices from the mix. Add a little milk and flour. Heat in a saucepan until thickened. Enjoy!
• Additional seasonings can definitely bring a lot more to this roast. Sometimes I like to add a garlic glove to this recipe—or even a pinch of oregano. The choice is yours!