How I discovered slow cooker cooking and Chicken Corn Chowder Slow Cooker Style

When my husband and I first got together 20 something years ago, our busy life with three kids left very little time to cook. I really didn’t like to cook much back then, but we had to eat. Since I worked full time, everything had to be quick and easy, and ideally, ready when I got home.

It was during those years in a cramped house Garland that I mastered the art of the casserole – or at least I thought I had. On Sundays, while John and the kids were watching football, I’d dutifully trot off the local grocery store to buy enough for the next week’s meals. When I got home, I’d make five casseroles and freeze them for the next week.

For the 1990s, I was being pretty creative: a meat, either chicken or ground piece; a starch, either some sort of noodles or rice; a can of some sort of vegetable, and a sauce, cheese, tomato and if I really got crazy, alfredo. After school, one of the kids would dutifully put the casserole in the even so it’d be ready when I got home from work. A quick salad and voila – dinner. I thought I had it down! After two or three years of this, my family began to revolt and would sneak down to the fast food places a few blocks away for dinner. To this day, none of my kids will eat a casserole of any sort – even as a side dish.

But still, I had to cook and I like having dinner ready when I got home. One year, in my mother’s longstanding quest to outfit my kitchen with useless appliances, she happened to give me a slow cooker. And I immediately put it to use. At first meals were the traditional roast and vegetables or dried beans, but eventually, my creative side took hold and I discovered there were soup meals beyond pinto beans and ham.

The following is one of my favorites - Chicken Corn Chowder.

Chicken Corn Chowder Crockpot Style

What you’ll need:

·         1 lb Velveeta cheese

·         4 boneless chicken breasts

·         1 can of chicken broth

·         1 can of cream corn

·         1 can of corn

·         1 cup chopped sweet bell peppers (red, yellow, orange and/or green)

·         ½ cup chopped onions

Directions:

Set the slow cooker on high. Melt the Velveeta in the slow cooker.

Brown the chicken breasts just enough so that there’s no more pink. Chop after it’s done.

Once the cheese is beginning to soften, add the can of chicken broth and the cream corn. Stir occasionally to help break up the cheese.

Add the chicken, the onions, peppers and corn.

Cook for 2-3 hours.

Excellent with corn bread!