Angela's Kitchen

Cooking gluten and diary free... because everyone deserves a cookie!

The Balanced Platter

Pulled Italian Chicken and Kale for the Slow Cooker

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Slow Cooker Pulled Italian Chicken and Kale

I am sharing delicious Slow Cooker Pulled Italian Chicken and Kale at the Balanced Platter today.  Stop by and say, “Hi!”

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I love using my slow cooker all year long. However, when the cool weather of fall and winter arrive, you can find slow cooker meals on my menu a couple times a week. There is nothing like coming home to the warm smells of dinner when cold winds are blowing outside. With busy school and sport schedules, I can serve a delicious, healthy, warming meal to my family with minimal work on my part when I use my slow cooker. Slow-cooked meals also help keep my grocery budget in check. Bean and lentil dishes cook up wonderfully in a crock pot giving time for seasoning to work their way through the dish. Cuts of meat that are more economical can be used as the slow braising renders those cuts tender and juicy.

Slow Cooker Pulled Italian Chicken and Kale is one of my family’s favorite meals. I use boneless skinless chicken thighs as they hold up better in a slow cooker than chicken breasts. Chicken thighs also have  more iron and zinc than chicken breasts, a bonus for your health during cold season! Stirring in kale near the end of cooking time keeps the hearty green from over-cooking and gives the dish a pop of color. This meal is a great introduction for family members who may not like to eat greens. The herbs, garlic, and chicken help balance the flavor of the kale to win over the pickiest of eaters.

Serve Slow Cooker Pulled Italian Chicken and Kale in gluten-free buns for shredded chicken sandwiches, over baked sweet potatoes, cauliflower puree or “riced” cauliflower, or use as a topping on gluten free pizza. My kids even like it warmed and put into a thermos bowl with a side of broccoli in their lunch box. This recipe freezes wonderfully. After allowing the chicken to cool, package the leftovers in a freezer safe container, removing as much air as possible before labeling and freezing.

Other ways to use your slow cooker this season:

What do you like to make in a slow cooker?

Slow Cooker Pulled Italian Chicken and Kale

Serves 12, or six for two meals

Ingredients:

  • 3 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 2 cups of your favorite gluten and dairy free spaghetti sauce
  • 3 tablespoons Italian seasoning, purchased or homemade
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 2 cups lightly packed diced kale, cleaned with stems removed
  • salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

  1. In a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker, place chicken. Add sauce, Italian seasoning, and garlic. Stir until chicken is evenly coated with sauce. Cover slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.
  2. When done cooking, take chicken out of slow cooker and put on platter. Stir diced kale into sauce in slow cooker. Set temperature to high setting and leave lid OFF of the slow cooker during this step.
  3. Using two forks shred cooked chicken thighs. When all the chicken is shredded, add it back to slow cooker. Stir to evenly distribute the kale and sauce. Cover slow cooker for 10 minutes until chicken is warmed through.
  4. Serve on gluten-free buns, baked sweet or russet potatoes, over quinoa, gluten free noodles, or as a topping for pizza.

Chai Spiced Coconut Quinoa Hot Cereal at the Balanced Platter

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Chai Spiced Coconut Quinoa Cereal

At the Balanced Platter yesterday (oops!  I forgot to post about it yesterday) I shared Chai Spiced Coconut Quinoa Cereal.  Try this delicious, creamy cereal this fall for a breakfast that will stick with your kids during their school day.  Our area is in the middle of a heat wave.  BUT in just a few short weeks it will be fall and time for warming breakfasts.  Chai Spiced Coconut Quinoa Cereal is pre-soaked for increase digestibility and to speed the morning cooking.  Coconut milk adds creaminess and maple syrup and chai inspired spices add sweetness.

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With two children in high school and one in elementary school, our mornings can be quite hectic on school mornings with all the different schedules. However, no matter how busy our mornings, one thing I insist on is a good breakfast before my kids start their day. Quinoa, with it’s high-nutrient profile and fiber, cooked with coconut milk makes a wonderful, stick-to-your-ribs breakfast that cooks up with a creamy texture similar to rice pudding that is supremely satisfying.

Pre-soaking quinoa helps the already quick-cooking grain to cook even quicker, and there is much evidence that pre-soaking helps make the nutrients more absorbable and easier to digest.  Depending on the day and what we have on hand, we add toasted nuts, chopped dates or berries.  As coconut milk has a naturally sweeter taste, all I need is to add just a touch of maple syrup, but feel free to skip it or to use the sweetener you prefer.

Quinoa needs to be rinsed very well to remove the bitter coating. The double rinsing and soaking in the recipe guarantees well rinsed quinoa, so all you taste is the nutty flavor of quinoa.

Other Breakfast Recipes:

What do you like to eat to start your day?

Chai Spiced Coconut Quinoa Hot Cereal

Serves 4

  • 1 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • 1 3/4 cups full fat coconut milk (about one 14 ounce can)
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
  1. Using a fine meshed sieve, rinse the quinoa well under running water. Place quinoa into a saucepan with the 2 cups water and cider vinegar. Stir well and cover the pan. Allow to sit overnight.
  2. In the morning, pour off water and rinse quinoa again using the fine meshed sieve. In a saucepan, stir together quinoa, coconut milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, cardamon, nutmeg and ginger. Cook over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Stir often, simmering until thick and creamy, about 15 minutes.
  3. Serve plain or with toasted coconut or nuts, berries, chopped dates, a bit of dairy free milk, brown sugar or maple syrup.
  4. Any left over cereal freezes beautifully. Portion cooled quinoa cereal into freezer safe containers and seal well before freezing. To serve, simply use your favorite method of re-heating, adding more liquid if needed.

AngelasKitchen.comAngela is the author and recipe developer behind the gluten-free dairy-free website, Angela’s Kitchen.  She loves cooking up whole food budget friendly family favorites, while balancing her role as master food preserver, gluten- and dairy-free cooking instructor and as a mother of three kids and a flock of spunky chickens.  Due to a passion to bring families back to the dinner table, Angela’s Kitchen features free weekly menus with grocery lists, freezer cooking and slow cooker recipes, with seasonal food preservation ideas.