Using Boneless Chicken Upper thighs in Crockpot Quality recipes

Boneless chicken thighs are a great alternative to boneless breast because they still have the same wonderful poultry flavor but they are even more succulent and juicy. They are naturally a bit higher in fat than the breast, which means they are less likely to dry out when you cook them.

Crockpot cooking tends to keep meat juicy anyway because this is a moist cooking method but a lot of people prefer the flavor of thighs to breast. You can use skin-on or skinless thighs.

The skinless ones do better in a slow cooker because fatty meat and slow cooking do not combine very well. This applies to beef and other meats too. Boneless chicken thighs can be combined with lots of other ingredients to make delicious slow cooker recipes. Fresh vegetables like onions, garlic, tomatoes, carrots, and zucchini are great with chicken and all kinds of sauces can be used, including creamy sauces, tomato-based ones, and even spicy international ones.

Chicken Romanoff with Noodles

The following recipe, which makes enough to serve four people, uses cayenne pepper to add a touch of spice to the delicious white sauce made from sour cream and cottage cheese. You will need a three or four quart size slow cooker to make this.

The cottage cheese gives this recipe a creamy, cheesy flavor and texture without using high fat ingredients like heavy cream. The sour cream fortifies the creaminess without adding quite so many calories as heavy cream would. You can use fresh chicken thighs or thawed ones for this. Make sure they are well thawed though; leave them in the refrigerator for a day before making this recipe to make sure.

If you are planning to be out all day, this is a really fantastic recipe because you just need to add the ingredients to the pot in the morning and you can leave it alone for five or six hours. When you get home, simply add the noodles and peas, and give it another half an hour. This is a one-pot meal because it contains meat, vegetables, noodles and everything else you need to make it rich and satisfying. It is a great dinner for the whole family.

What you will need:

20 oz boneless, skinless chicken thighs, in 3/4 inch pieces 2 tablespoons all purpose flour 1/4 cup chopped onion 12 oz cottage cheese 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives 1 cup thawed sweet peas 3 oz egg noodles 1 1/2 cups sour cream 1/2 cup grated parmesan Cooking spray, as neededHow to make it:

Spray your slow cooker with cooking spray. Stir the chicken, cayenne pepper, and onion together in the crockpot. Combine the sour cream, cottage cheese, and parmesan with the flour and pour this over the chicken.

Cover and cook on a low heat for five or six hours. Stir the mixture and add the peas and uncooked egg noodles. Turn the heat up to high, cover the pot, and cook the dish for another twenty or thirty minutes, or until the noodles are soft. Garnish with chives and serve.