Crockpot Chicken Recipes

A Mexican kitchen without a slow-simmering crock pot would be as odd as a Chinese kitchen minus a wok.

Whether pinto beans, chicken mole or green-chile pork, cooking foods low and slow is a centuries-ancient tradition.

Today, this ancient Mexican tradition gets a small help from the modern-day crock pot.

“There are so many different flavors and foods that turn out wonderful in a crock pot. The Mexican cuisine and crock pot make fantastic cooking partners,” said Deborah Schneider, chef-owner of Sol Mexican Cocina in Scottsdale and author of “The Mexican crock pot” ($19.99, Ten Speed Press).

Her cookbook’s recipes deliver the complex flavors of Mexico with the ease and convenience of crock pots.

In the colorful, 137-page book, Schneider takes traditional dishes from the original earthenware pots to the electrical crock pot. The recipes run from stews to desserts, simple to complex; they include spicy beef soup with Mayocoba beans and tequila-pickled jalapeños and vegetables.

Her recipes — mole negro, tamales with carnitas, barbacoa beef, tortilla soup and Mexican puddings — are aimed to please the busy home cook. Some require browning or sauteing ingredients before placing into the crock pot.

Chiles are used more for flavor than heat. Schneider recommends following the steps to roast, toast, soak or puree the chiles to replicate essential Mexican flavors.

During summer, crock pots offer more than just convenience. They offer a way to cook without grilling outside or heating up the kitchen.

“These are the dishes I cook at home, not the restaurant,” said Schneider, who, as owner of Newport Beach’s Sol Cocina, was dubbed “the reigning queen of San Diego chefs” by Bon Appetit magazine. “I know what it’s like to come home from a long day to a house that smells fantastic and a meal already cooked.”

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