It’s A Slow Cooker Kind of Summer

0

I usually break out my slow cooker in Fall once the cold temperatures set in (and by cold temperatures, I mean 50 degrees). For some reason, the colorful leaves conjure up images of warm spiced applesauce and the crisp Autumn air beckons to be scented by the aromas of slow cooking. But what about Summer? Doesn’t it, too, summon its own set of wafting aromas like the perfume of honeysuckle carried on a warm breeze or the smell of charcoal on the grill?

For me, Summer brings to mind carefree days that turn into warm nights by the orange glow of a campfire. Delicacies include roasted marshmallows nestled between graham crackers and chocolate bars and ice cream cones dripping down the hands of children with outstretched tongues. While those Summer days may feel like they never end and the sun never sets, they always seem to be interrupted by the growl of a tummy and eager bellies that need to be fed.

Now that the Summer schedule is setting in and free-time is a commodity, hungry faces stare at me come six o’clock and I need a plan! I recently turned to my slow cooker because I found the house getting really warm when I started cooking on the stove. The Spring here in Dayton has been really hot and humid and the A/C can’t seem to keep up when I add a hot stove on top of that. Paying a higher electric bill at the expense of my overworked air conditioning unit is not my idea of a good time. It’s going to be a long summer and I need to pace myself so that the family vacation fund doesn’t turn into a bill paying fund. 

Enter my new BFFs and go-to combination… the slow cooker and a whole chicken. Now I know that a whole chicken is in no way glamorous, but hear me out. Whole chickens are economical, versatile and make a great base for a second weeknight meal (and maybe even a third depending on how your crew eats). They really are the gift that keeps on giving.

My traditional method for making a whole chicken is to roast it in the oven (for approximately two hours- depending on its size) and then make some side dishes like mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli on the stovetop. All of the heat generated through this method can make the temperature of the house rise quickly. So this week, I grabbed my slow cooker and put the chicken in it, sprinkled it with some salt, pepper, and dried herbs and a few hours later I had a cooked chicken and far less heat in the house than my traditional method. I also grabbed some microwave steam veggies and rice to serve with it. This kept the house cool and the meal virtually hands-free until it was time to eat! The hands-free part was an extra bonus as my attention was needed to referee sibling disputes and research why penguins have wings but don’t fly.  

After dinner was finished that night, I shredded all the leftover chicken into an airtight container. This shredded chicken served as a second meal later in the week when I used it to make quesadillas. I also had enough chicken leftover to make a yummy chicken salad that the hubby and I enjoyed on a Saturday afternoon. This slow cooker roast chicken will definitely become part of my weekly rotation in the Summer. Check out the recipe below for slow cooker whole chicken and let me know how it changes your dinner game this Summer.

[yumprint-recipe id=’22’]