Salt and Pepper Chicken - Freezer to the Crock Pot!

I have been like a mad scientist in the kitchen trying out many recipes for the crock pot, more specifically, recipes that can be simply assembled, frozen in gallon size sealed plastic bags and then cooked in the crock pot when needed.

Despite finding recipes that look and smell amazing when assembling, and the reviews on the blogs being positive...yet, some were flops. I came across and adapted this recipe from HERE. Lots of recipes there - great blog! If you are looking for more freezer and crock pot meals, you will find plenty THERE. Its the simplest recipe I found, and yet it was delicious. Great flavor! I made crock pot cheesy mashed potatoes (with hidden cauliflower) in another crock pot (will post that recipe soon, it still needs perfecting).

This recipe is also great if you need to prepare a lot of shredded chicken for other recipes like chicken salad, casseroles etc.

This really cooks fast, this would not be recommended for a situation like making it before going to work for 8 hours and coming home to eat it...even on low it cooks pretty fast and you don't want to come home to mushy or dry chicken.

Salt and Pepper Chicken - Freezer to the Crock Pot

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons montreal steak spice
1/2-1 tsp fresh coarse ground black pepper
1/2-1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
1/4 tsp seasoning salt (I prefer Lawrey's)

1 cup chicken broth

To Freeze and store for later: 

Dump all ingredients into freezer bag. Squeeze all air out of bag and seal. Lay flat in freezer.

Crock Pot: Thaw - put in the fridge the night before. Place all ingredients into the Crock Pot and cook on HIGH for 2-3 hours or LOW for 3-4 hours. Crock pots can vary in cooking times so keep an eye on this recipe - my chicken took 2 hours on high.

Enchilada Tortilla Soup - From the Freezer to the Crock Pot!

Things are getting so busy at our house lately, and since we weren't completely drowning in things to do, we felt it was our duty to sign up one of our sons for T-ball on top of everything else. No, we aren't one of those "over scheduled families" but even the basics in life (work, church, T-ball, working out, laundry) can make things busy.

Last year I went on a freezer meal making frenzy...which was helpful but required cooking, freezing, and cooking again. Then I discovered the idea of freezer meals that are simply assembled AND THEN cooked in the crock pot....*HEAVEN* People! Heaven! So now I am converting many of my favorite recipes to such a method and here is one of them! ENJOY!

This is a very large recipe - I make the whole recipe, split it in half into 2 gallon-size freezer bags. I freeze one bag and the other I put in the refrigerator to use within a day or two, or directly into the crock pot for dinner that night. 

Enchilada Tortilla Soup

2  15.5 oz cans Great northern white beans (Or pinto, or beans of your choice) rinsed and drained - The beans go in seperately when ready to cook, they are not frozen with the soup - hence, 2 seperate cans of beans.
1  28 oz can diced tomatoes
2  16 oz packages frozen kernel corn -I use a package and a half & save the rest for something else.

1 onion - chopped
1 cup green bell pepper, chopped (I used green for the extra color)
1  28 oz cans enchilada sauce (I prefer Las Palmas-mild)
2  10.75 oz can of condensed cream of chicken soup

4 Tbsp Brown sugar

4 corn tortillas diced (does not go into freezer bag, goes in 30 minutes before serving)
3 cups milk (I used skim)

2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3-4 chicken breasts

3 tsp Salt
*1 packet fajita seasoning
*1  14.5 oz can chicken broth (add when it goes into crock pot) 


***UPDATE**** I made this soup again using a can of great northern white beans, I think that's the best its turned out. They don't have an over powering flavor. I also added 1 can of chicken broth when it was ready to go in the crock pot and half a packet of fajita seasoning - even MORE amazing! (You will need a whole packet of seasoning when making a full recipe) 

Half of this recipe will fit in a 5 quart slow cooker, the whole recipe fits in my 7 quart slow cooker. 

IMPORTANT Directions:Combine the tomatoes, corn, onion, bell pepper, brown sugar, enchilada sauce, soup, fajita seasoning, salt, milk - mix thoroughly. Divide mixture in half into 2 gallon size freezer bags (or one half in the crock pot and the other for the freezer). Add 1.5-2 chicken breasts to each bag/crock pot. Seal, label, and/or place in refrigerator, freezer or crock pot depending on your needs. 

Time to cook:  Place your frozen soup in the refrigerator to thaw the night before you need it. Empty the soup from the freezer bag/bowl into the crock pot. Add 1 can of drained, rinsed beans, 1 can of chicken broth and stir. Cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours. 

30 minutes before serving: Remove chicken and cut or shred into bite sized pieces. Add chicken back into the soup. Add 2 diced corn tortillas. Stir. The tortillas are not for crunch, obviously, they are simply for flavor. If you want crunch, add some crushed tortilla chips also. You might think a plain corn tortilla doesn't have much flavor, but it truly does, and its simple addition to the soup - transforms it. Your welcome! :)

Serve: Top with shredded cheddar cheese. If the soup is to thick, add chicken broth or milk until your desired consistency is met. Always, salt and pepper to taste.

Other nice toppings: avocado, chopped fresh cilantro, lime wedges, sour cream, and tortilla chips.