Cranberry Chicken: Crockpot & Freezer Friendly!

Yesterday, I posted about Mama and Baby Love's ecookbook.  Here's another of her recipes today.  I prepared it along with her Healthy Mama BBQ Chicken - chop once, make as many things as you can!

Cranberry Chicken - from this ecookbook

Ingredients: (Makes 2 bags!)

3 medium apples, cut into wedges

2 medium onion, chopped

4 pounds chicken breasts or thighs (I used 3 chicken breasts per bag)

the juice of two lemons

2 tablespoons quick cooking tapioca

2 tablespoons honey

2 cans of cranberry sauce or 2 bags of fresh cranberries

2 gallon freezer safe bags

Directions:

There is really no prep in this recipe.  The hardest part is chopping the onions - but that's not even really that hard.  Chop the onion and slice the apples.  Combine all ingredients into two separate one gallon freezer bags. I used cranberry sauce because I picked up these ingredients a few days after Thanksgiving.  I thought it'd be easier to use and not quite as tart as the fresh cranberries.

 

Mix ingredients in your bag to make sure they're well combined.  Lay flat, label (high 3 - 4 hours, low 6 - 8 hours) and place in your freezer.

The night before you want to use it, put it in the refrigerator to let it thaw a bit.  On the day of cooking, dump contents of bag into slow cooker and cook on high for 3 -4 hours or low for 6 - 8.

I shred the chicken and return it to the sauce.  It's also worth a note: don't be turned off by the sauce as it cooks.  Just stir it well before you use it - the tapioca made it look kind of funny as it cooked.

Serve with rice, couscous or a salad.  Enjoy!

The Verdict

The ease of preparation for this one is absolutely sensational.  In the time it takes to chop an onion - my TWO whole meals were prepared.  I was afraid this would be "oniony" tasting because I really smelled onion when I opened the bag from the freezer, but the onion had a mellow flavor and complemented the dish well.  The cranberry sauce gave it a nice sweet, yet tangy flavor.  I think, personally, using the fresh cranberries would have made the recipe too tart.  But then again, our family is not huge fans of cranberries.  We definitely enjoyed serving it with cous cous.  The added texture was welcomed and it helped to balance out some of the sweet flavor for DH.  This meal made for a fun, different spin on the classic chicken dish.  Fruity.  Tangy.  Slightly sweet.  And Delicious!  Give it a try and let me know what you think!