Comfort Food Classics in the Slow Cooker

Crock-pot recipes that deliver all your comfort food favorites! This week we feature Indian chicken with coconut milk and pantry spices, chili featuring tender beef and vegetables, as well as an unexpected twist on spaghetti and meatballs!

Cider-braised short ribs served with mashed potatoes are an impressive dinner party dish that never fail to delight.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

An essential appliance in creating comforting soups like this Chicken Tortilla Soup. Just prepare it in the morning, and come home to an authentic comfort meal packed with flavor and veggies topped with cheddar, toasted tortilla strips, and avocado – ideal to warm you up on an icy night!

Make this chicken tortilla soup quickly and effortlessly by tossing all of your ingredients into your slow cooker and setting for 8 to 10 hours on Low. Perfect for busy families on-the-go, this easy weeknight dinner will quickly become one of your family favorites!

This dish is packed with vibrant vegetables, succulent chicken and hearty beans for an incredibly filling meal that rivals any restaurant rendition. Enjoy its unique combination of flavors including smoky enchilada sauce, ground cumin and cayenne pepper for maximum impact, while adding ground chiles and bay leaves add depth to the broth. Plus you can customize to meet your preferences by omitting or including ingredients as necessary!

For a quicker cooking time, opt for store-bought rotisserie chicken (or use leftover chicken). Furthermore, skipping sauteing onions and garlic could save time as well. And for extra heat add slices of fresh jalapeno pepper.

This recipe makes a lot of soup, so feel free to adjust accordingly depending on how many people are being served. Simply ensure the proportions for chicken, vegetables and beans remain equal so the soup stays thick and satisfying.

Pour the soup into bowls and garnish each one with shredded cheddar cheese, toasted tortilla strips, chopped avocado, and lime juice as desired. Store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator; to rewarm just bring to a simmer in a saucepan on low heat. For an added special touch add a drizzle of sour cream or Cholula sauce at serving time!

Texas Chili

Few things rival the rich and satisfying flavors of Texas chili for satisfyingly warming comforting bowl of deliciousness. Packed full of tender coarsely ground beef, tasty chile spices and amber beer malty flavors–with just enough spice–this classic comfort food boasts authentic meaty goodness without beans added!

This classic chili con carne, inspired by San Antonio chefs who helped pioneer Tex-Mex cuisine, features no beans and minimal tomato paste compared to modern recipes that use more beans and tomato paste than ever.

To start making this chili, start by creating a spice paste from dried chiles. Combine ancho, pasilla and New Mexican peppers for maximum flavor or simply use one variety; just remember the more peppers you use the spicier your dish will become.

Next, saute the vegetables with spice mixture before adding tomato paste and beer and simmering for four minutes before transferring all to a slow cooker and leaving to simmer all day long.

For optimal results, it’s recommended that you brown the meat before adding it to the slow cooker. While this requires additional steps and effort, browning allows its natural flavors to shine through; if this step is not possible for whatever reason, don’t worry; your chili will still taste amazing!

As chili simmers longer, its quality increases dramatically. Meat becomes tender while flavors develop over time. Therefore, for optimal results it is advisable to make it at least 24 hours ahead.

Top your chili with whatever toppings you like best; classic options are sour cream and cheese; you could also experiment with adding guacamole, pickled red onions, fresh cilantro, scallions or crumbled tortilla chips as desired. This dish can easily be frozen too – simply be sure to store in an airtight container, and let thaw out overnight before reheating!

BBQ Beer Chicken Taquitos

Add some beer to this slow cooker chicken recipe and you will create an irresistibly comforting meal – perfect for lazy weekends, game day parties and potlucks alike.

This chicken dish is packed with flavor, packed with nutritious ingredients and easy to make! Perfect for weeknight dinners with items already found in your pantry.

Sweet and tangy BBQ sauce paired with dark beer flavors make this chicken recipe unforgettable. Braised for 6 to 8 hours in the slow cooker before shredding it for maximum moisture and tenderness, cornstarch thickening gives an extra creamy texture and makes this meal great to take anywhere for dinner on-the-go! You can prepare everything ahead of time by refrigerating in an easily accessible resealable jar in your refrigerator for quick dinnertime meals on-the-go!

Slow-cooking this dish gives it a rich, deep, and complex flavor you will savor. Tangy barbecue sauce meets savory beer perfectly balanced by sweet brown sugar for an unforgettable flavor combination that you’ll dream about long after its last bite is taken.

Make this delicious treat part of Taco Tuesday or a party appetizer with this easy Tex-Mex inspired recipe, perfect for kids and adults alike! These baked taquitos feature succulent slow cooker barbecue chicken that has been perfectly spiced, plus refreshing street corn, cheese, and fresh green onions for added zest.

Spaghetti and meatballs meet chili in this comforting comfort food that’s easy to make in a slow cooker, requires no chopping and provides a hearty protein-packed dinner perfect for busy weeknights.

Pulled Chicken with Coleslaw

There’s nothing more comforting than homemade barbecue chicken sandwiches made in the slow cooker and served on soft, toasted buns with coleslaw – these simple meals make a delicious weeknight dinner or summer potluck dish!

Start making delicious BBQ chicken sandwiches by peeling away the skin of 3 pounds of bone-in (also called split) chicken breasts and placing them in a slow cooker with low sodium chicken broth and your preferred barbecue sauce – homemade will often provide more meaty flavorful results, plus is easy to create!

Let the mixture simmer on “Low” for 6 hours, until your chicken is fall-apart tender and the sauce has thickened. Remove it from the slow cooker and shred using two forks, removing any bones as you go. Stir back into your slow cooker with more BBQ sauce so the shredded chicken soaks it all up before simmering for 10 more minutes!

While your chicken cooks, get to work making the delicious coleslaw. Either prepare it while the chicken is simmering or make it ahead of time and combine shredded green and red cabbage, carrots, sliced scallions, cilantro in a large bowl before whisking together apple cider vinegar, olive oil, honey mustard salt pepper to create an irresistibly tart dressing that coats everything evenly before pouring it over your slaw and tossing to evenly coat all the leaves and components.

To serve, top each sandwich with a quarter cup of creamy coleslaw and some dill pickle slices. If desired, drizzle each sandwich with extra BBQ sauce before devouring! Leftovers may be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one day after being prepared; or frozen meal option available here as well – once chicken has cooled completely place into heavy-duty freezer bags labeled with its date then simply thaw overnight before reheating with extra chicken broth on stove top until heated through!