Crockpot Italian Chicken

I know that at least one of you are going to say

“Min – that is NOT a recipe. That is two ingredients in a crockpot. That's a lazy dinner! “

Ummm….YEAH! And when it tastes this good, who cares if Giada won't be beating down my door to put it in her next show?

“But how is it Italian Chicken? Where is the garlic? the onions? the peppers? the tomato sauce?”

Well, maybe “Italian chicken” isn't the best name…how about “Italian Dressing Chicken”?

I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel here, just give you some ideas for an easy and tasty dinner that even my picky-eater children like (ok – they wouldn't eat the brussel sprouts, nor did my husband. More for me!)

Ingredients:

1.5 – 2 pounds chicken

1 large bottle of Italian Salad Dressing (I usually use fat-free)

White or Brown Rice, cooked according to package directions

Green veggie of your choice

Directions:

1. Place the chicken breasts in the crockpot. (90% of the time, I put them in frozen solid)

2. Pour bottle of dressing over chicken

3. Cook on low for 4-6 hours (depending on how powerful your crockpot is..Mine is usually done in 4.5 hours)

4. With 2 forks, shred the chicken (you can do this right in the crockpot)

5. Serve chicken (with some of the juices) over rice with a green vegetable on the side

As for the cost?

I stock up on chicken at $1.60-$1.70/lb. I used about 1.75 lbs

I can't remember the last time I paid for salad dressing and since I make this recipe about once every 10-14 days, I always have free Italian salad dressing on hand.

The veggies? Green Giant boxed frozen brussel sprouts. I never pay more than $.50 per box

The Rice? I'm a little picky with my rice. My favorite is the jasmine rice (comes in white and brown) from Trader Joe's, but you can pick up rice fairly cheap at the store (Success Rice and Uncle Ben are the two most generous when it comes to coupons)

Experiment with the dressings! I use whatever I can get for free. So far, my favorite was the time I made it with Bountifuls Tuscan Romano Basil Dressing!

Enjoy!