Food Friday--Crockpot Chicken

Welcome to the first edition of Food Friday. We know too well how family recipes can become blah and boring so we're hoping to showcase a new recipe every Friday. These have been "kid tested and mom approved" and hope that you find them easy, simple and tasty.

The first Food Friday is my own little concoction, Crock-pot Chicken (because I haven't thought of a better name for it). I started making it shortly after our youngest was born, 3 months ago. And I'm pretty sure we've had it at least 6 times since. Yeah, it's that good. And easy.

Ingredients:

One whole young frying chicken
Two large apples
One stick of butter (ya'll--just channelling my inner Paula Deen)
One-half of an onion
A handful of Rosemary
Fresh cracked pepper
And a crock pot on your kitchen counter...oh...wait...we're not singing.

Rinse and pat dry the chicken. Place the chicken in the crock pot. Slice the apples and put all of the slices from one apple inside the chicken. Put 1/2 of the stick of butter in the chicken.

Place the other apple slices around the chicken. Rub the other half of the butter on the chicken. Sprinkle chicken with rosemary and pepper. Slice 1/2 of an onion and place on top of the chicken. Add 2 cups of water.

Cook in crock pot on low for 6-8 hours. Lift chicken out of crock (this is easier said than done) onto a serving platter. Chicken will fall apart. Don't worry, if it doesn't look that good it sure does taste good.

For a side, I use the Idahoan Loaded Baked Potatoes. The package says to add two cups of boiling water per package. After taking the chicken out, I scoop two cups of water out of the crock pot and add it to the potatoes. This way I get the chicken flavor along with the loaded baked potato flavor. This is THE BEST. My husband took the potatoes for lunch one day and had co-workers argue with him that it couldn't be instant potatoes because it smelled so good when he heated it up. I have learned, in order to have enough for everyone, I have to make two packages.

And here's the finished meal. Notice the chicken fell apart. I serve it with the potatoes and green beans (or your favorite veggie). Since the chicken pulls easily off of the bone, save the leftover chicken for chicken salad, chicken tacos etc. The leftover options are endless. If there is anything left over.

Enjoy!