Slow Cooker Chicken
Last week was my first day seeing Naturopathy patients from Urban Wellness in Port Adelaide. I knew I’d be home late after a big day, which meant I’d be tired and hungry - not a good time to decide what to have for dinner.
If you're like me when you’re hungry, you’ll grab for anything in eye sight - junk food, snacks, a plain bread roll, ANYTHING! It’s a quick fix but it doesn’t leave you feeling good, especially if you’ve got gut issue going on.
It’s also a missed opportunity to nourish the body thats worked so hard for you all day.
I find the best way to avoid situations like this is to meal plan. At the start of each week, before the weekly shop, I make a plan.
Firstly, I take note of what we already have and what needs to be used up. Then I use my meal planning templet (which you can download below) to create a plan. I make note of any events or late nights and decide what to cook accordingly.
On the days I know I’ll be home late, the slow cooker is my best friend! I love walking in the door after a big day knowing dinner is ready waiting to be served.
This is exactly what I did last week. I knew I had a late night, so I planned for it. The night before I had a reminder in my phone to get the chicken out of the freezer. Then, before I left for work the next morning I put it all together and turned the slow cooker on.
When I got home, it was all ready for me. I added a few salad greens from the garden and dinner was served.
Slow cooked meals are not only convenient, they are good for your gut. Especially if you struggle with bloating, gas, constipation or pain. Slow cooked warm food is easier for the gut to digest and break down. It’s less likely to sit and ferment which reduces unwanted symptoms like those linked to SIBO and IBS. You can read more about that here.
Slow cooking is so easy once you get the hang of it. You can make cheap cuts of meat taste delicious and make them go further by bulking them up with vegetables. I got my slow cooker from Kmart for $20 and use it at least once a week.
If you like the sound of using a slow cooker to make your week easier, try my slow cooker chicken recipe below. It’s super simple and is enough food for a big family or left overs for the week. We had enough to make home made pizzas the next day.
To make life even easier download a copy of my meal planner templet so you can plan for your week. You can download it for FREE here
Slow Cooker Chicken Recipe
What you’ll need:
2 Carrots roughly chopped
2 medium potato roughly chopped
3 spring onions roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves peeled & squashed
4 sprigs rosemary
4 sprigs thyme
Salt & peper
1 tsp paprika
4 tbsp olive oil
1 whole organic chicken
1 lemon
What to do:
Chop the vegetables and add them to the bottom of the slow cooker along with rosemary and thyme. (You can also add any other veg you have on hand like celery, onion, swede, turnips, etc).
Combine salt and pepper, paprika and olive oil in a small bowl to make a paste (you could also add dried herbs or extra thyme and rosemary if you have it)
Dry the inside and outside of the chicken with paper towel then rub the spice mix all over the skin.
Place the chicken on top of the vegetables in the slow cooker breast side facing up. Cut a lemon in half, squeeze juice all over and then place the lemon halves inside of the chicken.
Turn the slow cooker on to low for 8 hours or you can cook on high for 4-5 hours.
Once done. Turn the slow cooker off. Pull out the chicken and break up into sections. Add to a plate with the cooked potato and carrots or any sides you like.
Enjoy!
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