Saturday, March 27, 2010

Maple-Whiskey Chicken and Chocolate Cookies for Dessert

This crock pot recipe was super easy but I was in a hurry to get out of the house to get to work, so no photos of the boneless chicken thighs resting atop the maple-whiskey mixture. This went very well over rice, the sauce over the chicken slivers on rice…Mmmmmmm….mmmmmmmm


Simple Ingredients.....


Lots of chopped onion and garlic



Grab these ingredients.........

* chicken thighs, about 3 lbs
* 1 cup tomato sauce
* 1/4 cup cider vinegar
* 1/2 cup maple syrup
* 1/4 cup Irish whiskey (you could probably use bourbon if desired)
* 1 Tbsp tomato paste
* 1 Tbsp paprika
* 1 tablespoon chili powder
* 1 tablespoon stone ground mustard
* 1 1/2 tsp hickory liquid smoke
* 1 medium onion - chopped
* 3 cloves garlic – chopped
* Salt and black pepper

Take all the ingredients except the chicken and mix it up. Place in the crock pot. Place the chicken on top of the whiskey-tomato-maple mixture and cover.



Place on the LOW setting and let it cook about 6 hours.

Once it’s cooked, shred the meat up with a fork and swish around in the deliciously sticky sauce.



It's a sloppy mess on your plate but oh my...what a taste! Better to use bowls next time...and we will make this one again.




On to dessert........


Nigella’s Chocolate Chip Mint Cookies (without the mint)



Ingredients you'll need.....

¾ cup brown sugar

½ cup (1 stick) softened butter

1 large egg

I teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup flour

1/3 cup cocoa

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 cup chocolate chips



Preheat oven to 350 F. Cream sugar and butter. Then beat in egg and vanilla.

From Cookies


Mix flour, cocoa, baking powder in bowl, then gradually beat into creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips after all is blended.

Spoon out heaping tablespoon sized scoops of cookie dough. I will say that my dough was more like thick chocolate frosting. Not complaining at all…it was delicious!



Bake for 12 minutes on non-stick cookie sheet, let sit on cookie sheet after removing fro oven for about 2 minutes. Then let cookies cool on wire rack.



The mint part (which I did not do) comes from a glaze you are meant to put over the cookies. You use a half cup of confectioner’s sugar and a bit of cocoa and mint flavoring. Well, this would certainly have made them sweeter and I guess I could have done that without adding the mint. Doug doesn’t like mint. Not in cookies. Not in ice cream. Just Mojitos :-)



The result of not adding the icing is the cookies are not super sweet. I like them very much as they are chocolately, like fudge, and taste like dark chocolate. My friend and co worker Branch mentioned some of my dessert posts and I was all set to bring her some cookies…but they are just not sweet enough. Sorry Branch – you would have been disappointed! Next sweetie dessert I make – I promise.

By the way, Branch's photography site may be found HERE. She also takes photos of food...my favorite :-)


This one if from Nigella Express, Workday Winners Section, page 54.


I’m sending the Whiskey-Maple Chicken over to Deb at Crock Pot Wednesdays and sending the chocolate cookies to I Heart Cooking Club for Nigella’s Potluck theme.

Speaking of Nigella, while I will continue to cook through her book Nigella Express, we will only have one more week with her at I Heart Cooking Club. It has been six months already and they are about to select another chef. It’s between Bobby Flay, Mark Bittman and Jamie Oliver. I can’t wait to see who wins the vote – it’s a tight race last time I looked and voting ends today.

16 comments:

  1. Hi Tina,
    Thanks for visiting. Yes, the crock pot is going to be my friend and closest ally for a few months. Little league has only just started and is killing me! :) It's so funny that your cookies didn't spread out in a circle. I wonder why? Didn't affect the taste one bit though I'm sure!

    ReplyDelete
  2. A beautiful thing... Love cooking with alcohol. The whiskey will add an earthy taste that sounds wonderful... Not a big fan of liquid smoke, but that's just the live firs cooker in me... would eat these every day of teh week and turn into contest as well

    saving this

    ReplyDelete
  3. The cocktail looks yummy!!
    Just found your blog and I'm so excited I did!
    -Mini B.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The chicken sounds yummy and the sauce uses ingredients I keep on hand. Can't get any easier than that! Thanks for the recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The whiskey maple chicken looks and sounds amazing! Delish!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Joie - The cookie dough was like fudge...maybe Nigella meant for that to happen. Still good. I have been reading you through Google Reader when I am at work - you are one busy mom!

    Dave - It was my first time with liquid smoke. I tried it in another recipe too.....

    Mini Baker - welcome and thank you for your nice comments :-)

    Janel - Let me know if you like it. Thanks for getting me back into croceting! Great suggestion.
    Fresh and Local - Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  7. The chicken looks and sounds delicious. I will have to try it but with breasts (my family doesnt like dark meat). The cookies sound interesting, I wonder with the mint if they would be like a girl scout thin mint tasting cookie... hmmm, might have to think about that...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sounds awesome! I've been keeping my eyes open for really great slow cooker recipes. They make weeknights so much easier. This definitely looks like a winner :-)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Mmm, great meal! Love the crock-pot chicken and the mild, free-form cookies! I am a big fan of not-too-sweet cookies with tea. :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. What a treat! I have to try those fudgie cookies!

    ReplyDelete
  11. that chicken sounds really great and it looks even better - like it in the crockpot as my days have been so busy lately ...

    ReplyDelete
  12. oneilslab - Thank you for visiting and the nice comments. I think it would work well with breast meat too. Let me know if you try it.

    Martha - I love the crock pot. It's nice to come home to the aroma of dinner simmering.

    Natashya - The tea sounds good. We had a few cookies with coffee yesterday.

    Laura - These are great cookies if you don't like them too sweet.

    Drick - Crock pots are great kitchen helpers.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Tina - that chicken looks fabulous....I'm drooling :) Miss ya girl - I have an amazing recipe to post soon....I am starting to cook again chica and take pics. xoxo Drop me an email this week at work!!! Contemplating a Florida vacay this fall.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Nothing like chocolaty cookies to enjoy--a great potluck pick! The chicken looks amazing too! ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Cathy - Looking forward to the recipe and the Fall vacation would be great!

    Deb - Thank you..the weather is cooperating now and we will soon be eating outside )I hope)....I will sure miss Nigella at the cooking club but will keep working her Express book.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thanks for linking this up with Crock Pot Wednesday. I just know it must be full of flavor. There's a giveaway going on in April, so keep checking back and linking up.

    ReplyDelete

Welcome and thank you so much for visiting. If I don't answer you here I will get back to you on your blog. Also have had to switch to approving comments due to some SPAM lately. Alas...

It's been a good run...........