Have you ever made a meal so terrible you threw it out and made grilled cheese. I only remember doing that once. I have no idea what tastes treat I concocted, but I remember after a few bites putting down my fork and saying "I can't eat this. Grill cheesed?" But there is sweet and accommodating Russ chocking it down and saying "It's not so bad". We had grilled cheese that night!
But this sweet little recipe is easy and really does not require any measuring. It is rather free form, just put in the amounts of each ingredient you think you will eat. As to spices, same thing. This is the chicken recipe to which I do add rosemary. When I made it last night with Mild Italian sausage, I omitted the Rosemary, but all the rest was about the same. I cook with a titch, a small scoop or a handful so these amounts are definitely a guess.
CROCKPOT GARLIC PARMESAN CHICKEN
- a bit less than 1/3 cup of olive oil
- 4-6 chicken thighs (I use boneless, but it doesn't matter)
- kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lb. baby red potatoes, quartered
- 5 cloves of garlic, chopped (not the stuff that comes in a jar please)
- 1 tsp. thyme
- 1 tsp. rosemary crushed
- 1 cup FRESH grated Parmesan used 1/2 cup at a time
- a bit of parsley
Directions:
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat brown the chicken 3 to 4 minutes, then flip and brown 3 minutes more.
- Meanwhile, in a crockpot, toss potatoes with olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme and parsley. Sprinkle with a 1/2 cup parmesan.
- Layer chicken on top of potatoes and sprinkle with more parmesan. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, until potatoes are tender and chicken is fully cooked.
Can you tell I love fresh grated parmesan and fresh chopped garlic? Please don't use that Parmesan 'cheese' that comes in a can. That is nothing more than grated cardboard with pretend flavoring. It is most likely 100% grated, but not 100% cheese! So go for wild and grate your own.
Don't forget, this is pretty yummy using sausage. Just brown it like you would the chicken, omit the rosemary and voila... another 60 second delight as we call these kinds of meals at our house.