Make a Holiday-Worthy Meal All Year Round
When you think of poultry and stuffing, you probably think of Thanksgiving, but this delicious recipe is made with chicken, and you can eat it year-round. Because this dish is made in a Crock-Pot, it can cook all day, creating moist melt-in-your-mouth chicken and soft, flavorful stuffing. Make some vegetables as a side dish, and dinner is ready to serve when you get home after starting this in the morning or during your lunch break.
This recipe makes use of prepared stuffing mix and chicken breasts, so preparation is both quick and easy. Don't worry if you don't have stuffing mix around, though, because you can make your own mix to use for this and other recipes, also described below. Just combine your ingredients and set your Crock-Pot to do all the work for you, with little to no stirring necessary.
Total Time: 6 to 8 hours | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Serves: 4 to 6
Ingredients:
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 (6-ounce) package stuffing mix
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 (10-ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Directions:
- Season the chicken breasts with kosher salt and pepper on each side.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, lightly brown the chicken breasts in olive oil for no more than 2 to 3 minutes per side.
- Add the browned chicken breasts to a 6-quart Crock-Pot. Sprinkle the chicken breasts with fresh rosemary, dried sage and dried thyme.
- Pour the dry stuffing mix over the chicken breasts. Sprinkle the dried cranberries over the stuffing mix.
- In a medium bowl, mix the condensed cream of chicken soup, sour cream and chicken broth together until fully combined.
- Pour the soup mixture over the chicken and stuffing.
- Set the Crock-Pot to low and cook for 6 to 8 hours, or use the high setting and cook for 3 to 4 hours.
Tip
If you like your stuffing a little less moist, simply add another package of dry stuffing mix to the recipe or uncover the Crock-Pot during the last 30 minutes of cooking to allow some liquid to evaporate. For more moisture, add an additional 1/2 cup of low-sodium chicken broth.
To make your own dry stuffing mix, toast 6 cups of bread, cubed, at 350F for 10 minutes. Toss the toasted cubes with 1 teaspoon each of dried thyme, dried parsley and pepper, along with 1/2 teaspoon each of dried sage and salt. Mix in 3 teaspoons of chicken bouillon, 1/4 cup celery flakes and 1/4 cup of onion flakes. Use half of this mix in the chicken and stuffing recipe.
Substitute 1/2 cup of chopped dried apricots or dried apples for the cranberries, if desired. You can also substitute cream of mushroom or cream of celery condensed soup for the cream of chicken soup and a cup of Greek yogurt for the sour cream.
To make an all-inclusive dish that includes healthy veggies for the kids, add 1 cup of your favorite frozen vegetables.
References
Writer Bio
Based in Las Vegas, Susan Paretts has been writing since 1998. She writes about many subjects including pets, finances, crafts, food, home improvement, shopping and going green. Her articles, short stories and reviews have appeared on City National Bank's website and on The Noseprint. Paretts holds a Master of Professional Writing from the University of Southern California.