EASY Instant Pot Chicken and Rice

You HAVE to try this-super simple and super delicious! 

YIELD: 6 SERVINGS

Easy Instant Pot Chicken and Rice

PREP:20 MINS

COOK:20 MINS

TOTAL:52 MINS

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion (1 small onion)
• 4 medium carrots, cut lengthwise and then chopped into ½-inch pieces
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 ½ cups long grain brown rice (uncooked), rinsed well and drained (do not substitute other types of rice)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
• 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup frozen peas (I omitted because I didn't have any) 
• fresh parsley and grated Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)

Directions:

1. Turn a 6 quart or larger Instant Pot to saute setting. Add olive oil, onion & carrots. Saute, stirring, until the vegetables start to soften, 3-5 minutes.
2. Stir in the garlic, brown rice, Dijon mustard, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cook for 1 minute, stirring. Turn off Instant Pot.
3. Add chicken broth & stir until well combined, making sure to scrape up any bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pot. Make sure that all of the rice & vegetables are in the liquid, not on the sides of the pot. Place the chicken breasts on top of the rice mixture. Do not stir.
4. Place the lid on the Instant Pot & set the pressure valve to sealing. Pressure cook on high for 20 minutes.
5. Allow the Instant Pot to naturally release for 12 minutes (by leaving it off after it finishes cooking).
6. Then, carefully do a quick pressure release (use the handle of a long spoon to carefully turn the valve to venting) to release the remaining steam and pressure. Once the float valve drops down, carefully open the Instant Pot away from you, as the steam will be hot.
7. Remove the chicken to a cutting board & chop into bite-size pieces. Stir the chicken back into the rice mixture, along with the peas.
8. Serve with fresh parsley and grated Parmesan, if desired.
9. https://kristineskitchenblog.com/instant-pot-chicken-and-rice/

thatsusanwilliams' Flu-Fighter Soup

I've had variations of this soup for years, and it is amazing when you are sick. It's great to have in constant supply during the winter months. My friend Susan shared this recipe via https://www.thatsusanwilliams.com/2016/10/flu-fighter-soup-chicken-soup/

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs
salt & pepper
1 T. vegetable oil
3 carrots, peeled and chopped, medium
2 celery ribs, chopped medium
1 onion, minced
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 T. tomato paste
1/2 t. dried thyme (or 2 t. fresh thyme, if you have it)
1/4 t. dried red pepper flakes
8 c. chicken broth (I used homemade)
2 bay leaves
1 c. dried wide egg noodles
3. c. greens (I used chard, kale and spinach)
1 T. lemon juice

Instructions
Dry chicken thighs with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a skillet until just smoking. Brown chicken thighs well on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and let cool slightly.
Add carrots, celery and onion to the skillet, and cook over medium heat until vegetables are softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, tomato paste, thyme, and red pepper chile flakes and cook until fragrant, about one minute. Stir in 1 c. chicken broth to scrape up any browned bits. Transfer vegetables to slow cooker.
Stir remaining 7 c. broth and bay leaves into slow cooker. Place browned chicken thighs with any accumulated juices from their plate into slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.
About 15 minutes before you want to serve the soup, cook egg noodles in boiling salter water, according to package directions, undercooking them just slightly (by about 1 minute). Drain, and reserve.
Remove chicken thighs from slow cooker and place on cutting board to rest. Remove the bay leaves from the soup. After chicken has rested for about 5 minutes, shred it into bite sized pieces, and add it and the greens, the cooked noodles, and finally, the lemon juice to the slow cooker. Allow the greens to just wilt, and the chicken to warm back up. This will take about 3-5 minutes. Stir, taste, and season with salt and pepper, if needed. Serve.
By Susan Williams

Amazing Creamy Tomato & Spinach Penne

Need an easy, delicious, filling pasta main dish in 30 minutes or less? My youngest daughter is a fabulous cook, and she found this recipe- even perfect for the vegetarian in the family.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp dried basil
pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
freshly cracked pepper to taste
½ tsp salt
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 oz. cream cheese
¼ cup grated Parmesan
½ lb. penne pasta
½ (9 oz.) bag fresh spinach

(photo from recipe source - I forgot to get one of ours!)

Directions: 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender (7-10) minutes. Drain the pasta in a colander.

2. While waiting for the pasta to cook, dice the onion and mince the garlic. Cook both in a large skillet with the olive oil over medium-low heat until softened and transparent (about 5 minutes).

3. Add the diced tomatoes (with juices), oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper to the skillet with the onions and garlic. Stir to combine. Add the tomato paste and a ½ cup of water to the skillet and stir until the tomato paste is dissolved into the sauce.

Turn the heat down to low. Cut the cream cheese into a few pieces and then add them to the skillet with the tomato sauce. Use a whisk to stir the sauce until the cream cheese has fully melted in and the sauce is creamy. Add half of the Parmesan to the skillet and whisk until it is melted in. Add the remainder of the parmesan and whisk until melted in again.

5. Add the fresh spinach and gently stir it into the sauce until it has wilted (3-5 minutes). Add the pasta and stir until it is well coated in the creamy tomato sauce. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. Delicious hot or cold as leftovers! 

From https://m.riverbender.com/recipes/details.cfm?id=580

Greek-Style Pork Chops or Chicken

I am trying out new recipes to add to our usual meals - this is from Cooking Light, several years ago - it is a pork chop recipe, but I decided to make it with boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I was delicious!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, divided
1 teaspoon dried oregano                

2 teaspoons olive oil, divided

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts) 

3/4 cup plain fat-free Greek-style yogurt

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (I used dried) 

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

1 1/2 cups diced plum tomatoes (about 2 medium)

1 cup diced seeded cucumber

1/2 cup diced red onion

Cooking spray

 

Directions:

1.  Combine 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, oregano, 1 teaspoon olive oil, and garlic in a zip-top plastic bag. Add meat to bag, and seal. Marinate for 20 minutes at room temperature, turning after 10 minutes. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar, remaining 1 teaspoon oil, yogurt, 1 tablespoon dill, and 1/8 teaspoon salt, stirring well with a whisk. Cover and chill. Combine tomatoes, cucumber, and onion. Sprinkle tomato mixture with 1/8 teaspoon salt; toss to combine.
2.  Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Remove meat from bag, and discard marinade. Add meat to pan, and cook for 4 minutes on each side or until no longer pink inside.  Remove from pan, and let stand for 2 minutes. Place 3/4 cup tomato mixture on each of 4 plates, and top each serving with 1 chop or breast and about 3 tablespoons yogurt mixture.

Adapted from: Cooking Light

Lemony Chicken with Capers & Kalamata Olives

from Guideposts magazine, 2007

Ingredients

2 boneless chicken breasts halved
1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup halved and thinly sliced red onion
1 1/2 cups fresh orange juice
2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tbs. capers, rinsed
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved lengthwise

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Marinate the chicken breast with 1 tsp. salt and 1/4 cup of the lemon juice for a minimum of 30 minutes and up to two hours. Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Sprinkle each chicken piece with 1/4 tsp. salt. Spread the onions in the bottom of a shallow baking dish. Add the orange juice and place the chicken breasts on top of the onions. Whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup lemon juice, the olive oil and oregano. Drizzle over the chicken. Sprinkle the garlic and capers over the chicken. Add the olives to the pan juice (don't put them on top, or they will leave their mark). Bake uncovered until the juices of the chicken run clear, about 30 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter with the pan juices, olives, and capers.

Chicken Curry with Apples

This is delicious!

3 Tbsp butter
2 small onions, chopped
2 apples - peeled, finely chopped
3 tbsp flour
1 tbsp curry
8 chicken breasts
1 cup hot chicken broth
1 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350*. Lay chicken breasts in 9x13 pan; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute apples and onions in butter until tender. Add curry and flour, saute; add broth and milk - mix and pour over chicken. Cover with foil; bake 45-50 minutes for bone-in breasts; 30 for boneless or until tender.

Harvest Chicken Salad

This is from a 2006 Season's Best Pampered Chef recipe booklet - I haven't made it, but plan to:

Harvest Chicken Salad
Dressing2 oranges
1/3 c. fat-free mayo
2 T. stone-ground mustard
2 t. sugar
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 small clove garlic, pressed

Salad
1 pkg. (6 oz.) fresh baby spinach leaves
2 c. diced roasted chicken (good use for any pre-cooked chicken you may have)
1 c. diced celery
2 medium Red Delicious apples
1/2 c. chopped red onion
3/4 c. sweetened dried cranberries
1/2 c. toasted pecan halves (optional, but really good)
Orange segments (optional)
Whole-grain croutons (optional)

For dressing, zest one orange to measure 2 t. zest. Juice oranges to measure 1/2 c. juice. combine orange zest, mayo, mustard, sugar, salt, pepper, and garlic in a bowl. Whisk until smooth. While continuously whisking, add orange juice in a thin, steady stream. Set dressing aside.

For salad, place spinach in bottom of large serving bowl. Dice the chicken and celery. Quarter apple, then remove stems and seeds. Slice apple quarters thinly. Layer chicken, celery, apples, onion, cranberries, and pecans over spinach. To serve, drizzle dressing over salad and toss to coat. Top with orange segments and croutons. Serve immediately.

Crockpot BBQ Chicken

This is an amazing recipe - so easy, and delicious! I don't usually have taco sauce on hand, so I just use more BBQ or ketchup. And the Liquid Smoke is pretty necessary, so don't forget that.

Ingredients:

3 lb. bag frozen chicken breasts (I've also used boneless, skinless chicken thighs)

1 onion, diced

2 cups of any combo of ketchup or any kind of bbq sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray's)

8 oz taco sauce (Not salsa)

2 Tbs. brown sugar

1 Tbs. dry mustard

2 Tbs. vinegar

2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. liquid smoke

 

Instructions

1. Toss all the ingredients into the slow cooker. You don't even need to stir. (I stir it up after it's all in the crock pot - at least smear it together. The first time I cooked it, there was a blob of unmixed stuff on top of the chicken.)
2. Cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 7-8. (I've only cooked it on low) 
3. Shred the meat and stir it all up. (I kept the thighs whole, and served buns alongside.) 
4. Serve on buns.

Slightly adapted from here

Chicken with Tomatoes & Capers

Another old recipe, source unknown, but really good:

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
6 plum tomatoes, chopped
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp capers, drained/smashed
6 large basil leaves, shredded

Directions:
1. Place chicken between wax paper and pound to 1/2 inch thickness. Mix flour, salt & pepper and coat chicken.
2. Heat oil, and brown chicken, 4-5 minutes per side. Add garlic, and cook 3 minutes.
3. Add wine, tomatoes and broth. Simmer until liquid reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add capers & basil, stir to blend, and serve.

BBQ Shrimp

This is from a Southern Living magazine *I think* in the 90s, but I couldn't find it online to verify the source. It's actually baked, but the title is BBQ

6 1/4 lbs shrimp, peeled
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp Old Bay
1 Tbsp pepper
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. hot sauce

Combine ingredients, and place in a large, shallow roasting pan in a single layer. Bake at 350', 15-20 minutes until pink, stirring occasionally.

Skillet Cod

I'm in the midst of decluttering, and found a notebook full of old recipes - this is a favorite, from a cooking magazine - in the 90's. NO idea of the source, but we love this recipe:

Skillet Cod
(editor's note - scrod makes a good substitute for cod steaks)

Ingredients:
2 1/2 lbs. cod steaks, center bone removed
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. finely minced garlic
1 can (28 oz) peeled Italian plum tomatoes, drained & chopped, with 1/2 cup juice reserved
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
Juice of 1 orange
3/4 cup pitted green olives, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 Tbsp. drained capers
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
salt & pepper, to taste
1/2 cup torn fresh basil leaves
4 cups cooked rice

Directions:
1. Cut the cod steaks in half lengthwise. Use tweezers to remove any bones.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion & cook until wilted, 8-10 minutes. Add garlic & cook an additional 2 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes with juices, orange zest & juice, olives, raisins, capers, rosemary, salt & pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring to blend flavors, 15-20 minutes.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low (barely simmering). Add torn basil leaves and cod, spooning liquid over the fish. Cook, shaking the pan, until fish is cooked through, about 10 minutes. (Fish will flake easily with a fork). Continue to spoon sauce over fish occasionally while it's cooking.

Chicken & Tortellini Florentine Soup

Chicken soup, made with rotisserie chicken stock, combined with veggies, cheese tortellini, herbs and spinach. This is delicious with fresh bread. I adapted it from several recipes

found online.

 

6-8 cups chicken stock (I used homemade rotisserie chicken stock)

 1/2 cup chopped onion

 1 tsp olive oil

1 can (14-1/2 ounces) stewed tomatoes, cut up

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

 pinch each sage, rosemary & thyme

 2 cups dried cheese tortellini

 2 cups frozen mixed veggies

2-1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken

 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

 

Heat olive oil in stock pot or dutch oven; saute onion until tender. Add stock, tomatoes, cheese, salt, pepper & seasonings. Bring to a boil and add tortellini - cook according to package directions, but stopping before it is fully cooked. Then add mixed veggies, chicken and spinach - heat through. Adjust salt and pepper if needed.

Baked Chicken with onions, garlic & basil (and *amazing* gravy)

This was SO good - we'll make it again. And super-easy, starting with frozen chicken breasts - putting it together was a snap.

Ingredients:
4-6 boneless, skinless frozen chicken breasts
1/2 onion, sliced thin
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled, and either whole or minced
fresh basil leaves or pesto
pepper, olive oil


Preheat the oven to 350*. Spray a 13x9 baking dish with olive oil spray, place as many frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts as will fit in the pan. Cover with sliced onions, whole or minced garlic, fresh basil leaves or pesto, pepper, and drizzle with olive oil (or spray with an oil mister). Cover with foil and bake until chicken is tender, and registers 165*. (it took about 40 minutes)

Gravy:
About the gravy. Each time I get a rotisserie chicken, I boil the carcass for several hours, strain, chill, and skim off the fat. I used this chicken stock for the gravy - heated it to boiling, added a flour/water slurry (2 tbsp. flour in 2 tbsp. water, shaken in a jar until mixed) - whisk until smooth, return to a low simmer until thickened. Simple, quick and delicious.

I served it with rice and veggies. From the reactions, I think they loved it.

Crockpot Cranberry BBQ Chicken

This is so tasty, and ridiculously easy - adapted from here:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs)
1 cup BBQ sauce
1 cup cranberry sauce
1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Place chicken in the crock pot and then pour sauce over. Cook on low for 4 hours.

*I used frozen thighs and increased the time to ~6hrs.

Grandma's Meat Sauce with Chuck Roast

You know how some dishes have a history deeply entrenched in them? This is one: my husband's grandmother made this for years, passed it along to his mom, and it is a mainstay at her house - for all family meals, etc. She uses the same heavy pot that her mother-in-law used. I cooked it in a dutch oven, and it worked perfectly.

Ingredients:
~2 lbs. chuck roast, fat trimmed
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
15 oz. tomato sauce
12 oz tomato paste

12 oz water (more as needed)
olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Coat bottom of heavy pot with olive oil; heat on medium. Saute onions and garlic until translucent.

 Add meat and brown on all sides, sprinkling with salt and pepper.

 Reduce heat to med-low and simmer for up to an hour. Add sauce and paste, stir, and simmer on low for 3-5 hours or until meat is fork-tender.

Cut meat into chunks, and serve along with sauce, over pasta. We like to use a short pasta to which the sauce can really cling - like rotini. I usually drain the pasta, return it to the pot, and mix in a ladle or two of sauce.

Pasta Meat Sauce with Ground Turkey

I got this from theyummylife.com - it was originally for the slow cooker, but I have done it on the stove, too, and it works just fine - especially now that it's cooler! This is really good on pasta or on cheese ravioli - my daughter said it reminded her of lasagna.

Here is the original recipe, with my changes for the stove top in bold:

6 cloves garlic, minced (I used 3)

1 medium onion, diced

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes

1 (14.5 oz) can crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce (I used 28 oz.)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 cup dry red wine (omitted, because I don't have any)

2 tablespoons Italian herb seasoning

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (may reduce or omit for less spice)

1 pound ground turkey (breast, thigh or mixed)

fresh chopped Italian parsley or basil for garnish (optional)

grated Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top (optional)

For the stove top:
Brown the onion in olive oil until translucent; add garlic and stir a minute or so. Add ground turkey, cut up into chunks, and remaining ingredients except fresh herbs and parmesan.

Stir gently to keep turkey from breaking up too finely, cover, turn heat down to low and simmer for an hour or more. If it's too liquidy for your taste, take lid off for final 15 minutes before serving.

Season to taste, and serve over pasta. Sprinkle with fresh herbs and Parmesan, if desired.

For the slow cooker:
Coat inside of slow cooker with cooking spray. Put garlic, onion and olive oil in small bowl and microwave 2 minutes at full power, stopping and stirring after the 1st minute. Add all ingredients to slow cooker (minus the turkey) and stir to combine. Break ground turkey into chunks and add to the sauce. Tap down the turkey chunks so they are partially covered in the sauce, but do not stir or break up the turkey chunks. Cover, and cook on low for 6-7 hours. Stir cooked sauce, taste, and add more salt, if needed. Serve over pasta. Sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley or basil and grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Sausage Pizza Zucchini Boats

This is a *great* dish - a homeschooling friend shared the recipe. It comes from a website called Dashing Dish, and she calls it Pizzuchini. My entire family liked the meal- even my meat-loving, Italian husband.

Here is the recipe, and my changes are in bold:

	4   large zucchini, halved lengthwise
	1 lb. (2 cups) lean ground turkey or boca meat style crumbles    I used Morning Star sausage, crumbled
	1/4 cups onion, diced I used onion powder
	2 tsp garlic powder I put 3 cloves garlic through the garlic press
	1/2 tsp. salt I omitted
	1/4 tsp. pepper
	1 cup  pizza or pasta sauce I used 1 cup crushed tomatoes
	2 tbs. grated parmesan
	1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
	2 tbs basil, 2 tbs oregano, optional I added these to the pan 1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 13×9 baking dish with     non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. 2. In a large non-stick skillet, combine ground turkey, onion,     garlic, salt and pepper, (and basil and oregano if you desire).     Cook over med-high heat until turkey is brown and cooked through.     I just crumbled the sausage and added it to the pan. 3. While the turkey is cooking, make the ‘zucchini boats’ by scooping     the seeds from center of each zucchini half, using a spoon or melon     baller. This will make 8 long ‘zucchini boats’. Set boats in baking dish,     placing them side by side. 4. Once the ground turkey is browned, add the pizza/pasta sauce and     parmesan cheese to the skillet, and simmer over medium heat for     5 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened up. 5.  Spoon turkey mixture into zucchini boats. Sprinkle mozzarella      cheese over the top of each boat. 6.  Bake zucchini boats for 10 to 12 minutes, or until cheese is golden      brown.

Panko-Crusted Tilapia

I bought some frozen tilapia fillets a few weeks ago, and wanted to find a recipe - well, I found it - this is amazing. I've never used Panko breadcrumbs, and was very pleased. The only differences were I doubled the recipe, decreased the butter a bit, and didn't use as much of the red pepper flakes. Everyone loved it - even my daughter who isn't that big on fish. Thanks to Lacey at  asweetpeachef.com for such a great recipe!

1/2 tbsp. olive oil
2 Tilapia fillets, rinsed and patted dry
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup unseasoned Panko breadcrumbs
1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
optional: thinly sliced lemons for garnish

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• In a medium-sized shallow dish, combine melted butter, garlic powder and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Set aside.
• In another medium-sized shallow dish, combine Panko breadcrumbs and the rest of the dry seasonings. Mix well.
• Gently coat each filet with the butter mixture and then with the Panko mixture, taking care to coat with as much Panko coating as possible.
• Heat 1/2 tbsp. olive oil over high heat in a non-stick, oven-safe skillet. Once oil and pan are hot, add the Panko-coated fillets. Pour the remaining lemon-butter mixture over and around the fish and carefully pat as much of the remaining Panko coating on the fish as possible. Throw in a few thinly sliced lemons to brown as well (if you wish, for garnish and added lemon flavor). Heat on high until the bottom side turns golden brown and the butter starts to brown, about 2-4 minutes. Careful not to burn the butter or the fish.
• Once the bottom side is golden brown, carefully flip the fillets over and place the skillet into the oven. Bake until the fish breaks apart easily with the twist of a fork, about 10-12 minutes, depending on the size of the fillets. Careful not to overcook at this point.
• Remove from the oven and serve immediately. Garnish with a slice of lemon, if you’d like.

*I served it with steamed spinach, topped with some sweet and sour sauce - that was a good combination.

French Dip in the Crock Pot

This is delicious - you can use chuck roast or pork shoulder.

chuck roast or pork, fat trimmed (I've done anywhere from 3-6 lbs)
onions, sliced (I used 5 large for 6 lbs meat)
garlic, peeled, left in whole cloves (I used ~10 cloves for 6 lbs. meat)
small amount peppercorns
beef stock, enough to fill crock halfway up meat

Place onions in bottom of crock; add meat, garlic and peppercorns. Pour in stock, cover, and cook on low 8-12 hours or until meat falls apart when forked.

Remove meat, separate fat and shred. Pour liquid through sieve and let fat rise; spoon off fat. (I put mine in the fridge for a while until the fat hardens and it's easier to remove.)

Serve on crusty rolls with onions and juice for dipping.

Moroccan Chicken Kebab

This is a really good recipe - easy, and the consensus around the dinner table was that the sauce would also be fantastic on grilled/roasted eggplant or cauliflower. My changes are in bold, and I cooked them under the broiler. **Update  - this sauce is really good on cauliflower, which we sliced as steaks, marinated, then roasted at 350' for 10 minutes.

I found the recipe here:

Instructions:

1 1/2 lbs. chicken or turkey breast, cut into 3/4" cubes (I had a mix of chicken breasts and boneless, skinless chicken thighs)

2 teaspoons salt (I used 1 tsp.)

2 teaspoons paprika

1/2 teaspoon pepper (we used 1/4 tsp, and it could have used a bit more)

1/2 teaspoon ginger (I also added ~1 tsp. grated fresh ginger)

1/4 teaspoon crushed saffron threads (optional) (I omitted this)

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 or 2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely chopped

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsely

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice (I used a bit more)

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Combine all ingredients except the chicken. Add the chicken, and mix well to fully coat the meat. Cover with plastic, and leave the chicken to marinate for several hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

Transfer the chicken to skewers and grill or broil about 4 or 5 minutes on each side, or until the meat is done. Serve immediately. (I didn't have time to put them on skewers - I put them in a baking dish large enough so the chicken was in one layer, and stirred a couple of times while cooking.)

**We had it with jasmine rice, and that was a good combination. This recipe is definitely a keeper!

Yields 8 to 10 large skewers.