Roasted Crock Pot Chicken with Zuchinni Fritters

 

 Hello, hello! Happy almost weekend!How is everyone's week going? Try anything new?

      I received a huge bag of cool cooking stuff from my mom for Christmas and finally am getting to try some stuff out! Anyone have a mandolin? It is so fabulous, you need one. I used it to make sweet potatoes "chips"last night. I only made one potatoes as I have a horrible track record with sweet potatoes. Like, potatoes 4857, me 0. I can never get them crispy or I burn the life right out of them. Anyone relate?

    They turned out wicked, and I will totally be doing them again. Only thing was, for some reason they turned out ripper hot! Like they had been doused in death hot sauce or something! I only used red pepper flakes (not chili) and sea salt, as they were intended for trial on the children. They were bordering on too hot to eat! But the texture/crunch factor was there So I win, finally.

   You know the feeling when you've worked hard on a meal, especially if it's a new recipe, and you're so proud and excited? Then the kids (or huzzie) take one bite and make that "face" and you know they don't like it. It makes me want to two-hand push my kids out of their chairs and scream "what the crap is wrong with you losers?" Easy, end your call to Child Services, I'm kidding. Kind of. But it's frustrating, isn't it? When I use the crock-pot and I'm getting it ready in the morning, Grey sometimes likes to tell me "I'm not eating that you know......" Awesome, thanks for the newsflash. Sheesh. I think I need this as a sign in my kitchen!

I have been hoarding this zucchini fritters recipe for a while, and it was a super hit. Shane loved it, which is a miracle straight from baby Jesus himself. He usually hates zucchini, so this was a daredevil move for me! They were easy to flip and fast to make. Fabulous leftover the next day. I had a whole chicken out, so I tossed that bad-boy in the crock pot in the morning. I put about a cup of broth in the bottom, then the chicken on top. Grease the little bugger up with oil, I used garlic infused olive oil, and then some spices. I cube an onion and put it around the chicken, and layer some on top. Then some fresh minced garlic, paprika, onion powder, Herbes de Provence, and oregano. Don't ask me how much of each, just cover it for God's sake! Cover on low, 6-8 hours. Mine was 6 on low. Remember no lifting the lid for the first few hours!

Done!

Zucchini Fritters
You need:
2 medium zucchini, no need to peel
2 green onions or half a white onion, diced
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup Parmigiana Reggiano cheese, packed
2 eggs
sea salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp lemon juice
oil for frying

I used a cheese grater to shred the zuch. you could also do it in a food processor. You want a fairly good sized "shred" like you would get from shredding cheese. Sprinkle with salt and place the zucchini shred into a clean dishtowel and squeeze the love right out of it. I mean squeeze. There will be a ton of water that comes out, and it will screw you over if you don't kill it!

Once squeezed, add to a mixing bowl. In a separate small bowl quickly beat the eggs, add them to the zuch. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine.

Add your oil, generous amount that covers the bottom for sure, and heat it up over medium heat. Once it's shimmery hot, add spoonfuls of the mixture to the pan. There is no real need to flatten them out, I did a bit with the back of the spoon, but not too crazy. Make sure you don't cram too many in there or you'll have a terrible time trying to flip them!

I cooked about 7ish minutes a side. This is up to you, but I wouldn't try and flip before about 4 minutes and you can see the crust around the edges. Cook them on the flip for as long and as crispy as you want them, adjusting heat if you need too. This is post-flip....

I kept them in tin foil while I was finishing the potatoes and chicken up.....

Sweet Potato Chips:

You need:

A mandolin or good cutting knife

2-3 sweet potatoes (one actually makes a lit, cut in this size)

olive or coconut oil 

desired spices 

Pre heat oven to 425

Cut your potato in very thin slices. If using a knife, try to keep them the same for even cooking.

 

I put them in an ice water bath for a half hour. It draws out some of the starch and improves the crispiness a lot! Just out the slices in a bowl, cover with cold water and ice.

Drain and pat dry, making sure they are dry or toy will ruin your hard work! Place in a bowl and cover to coat with your choice of oil.

Line a tray with tin foil for easy cleanup and put on greased cooling racks. (I use these to allow air to flow around, then you get an even cooking temp on all sides without flipping nonsense.) 

Once you've got them lined up all pretty, sprinkle with your chosen spices. Into the oven for 20 or so minutes, until they curl up a bit and are crispy. Broil for a few minutes at the end if you like.

There you have it! I use a jalapeno Greek yogurt from Costco and served the fritters and chips with it for dipping. 

I used the leftover fritters this morning for Shane's breakfast. I Just broiled them to reheat and put 2 poached eggs on top with some bison sausage. Delish.

Original fritter recipe pingback to "slimpalate.com"