Slow-cooked goodness: Chicken pot au feu, bread pudding

Cookbook author Katie Lee shares yummy entrée, salad and dessert recipes

Video: Make dinner easy with slow-cooker chicken pot au feu

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>>> kitchen," what's for dinner? a slow cooker classic but has nothing to do with beef. this meal may sound fancy, but it's an easy and delicious dish that can be whipped up in a few simple steps. katie lee is the author and entertaining expert and she's showing us pot au poux. sounds like a villain from james bond .

>> a slow cooker is a busy cook's best friend.

>> browned up chicken, salt and pepper on it and goes into the skillet. helps it have more flavor when you put it in the slow cooker . put our veggies in first.

>> okay.

>> put those on the bottom and then carrots, celery and onion on top.

>> boom.

>> and it all goes right in. the beauty of this dish and garlic and thyme over it, and then we put our chicken on top. and then when the chicken cooks, all of its good flavors go into the veggies.

>> and what else are we adding here?

>> chicken broth and white wine , and that will give it even more flavor. if you don't have chicken broth , actually just use water because there's enough going on in here that it's going to give that a lot of flavor.

>> okay. last hour of cooking, add some zucchini to it and don't take the lid off while it's cooking. you lose 15 to 20 minutes .

>> how do you get the zucchini in?

>> comes out looking like this. doesn't that look delicious?

>> fantastic.

>> and i do it with a little salad, herbs and nice little viniagrette, crusty bread with some butter and dinner is ready. it's delicious.

>> i never thought about this. use a slow cooker to make dessert.

>> absolutely, doing a caramel apple brioche bread pudding , sounds super fancy. i've got eggs going, probably have everything to make this in your fridge already. whole milk and this is diced apple.

>> great because it's fall and people are going apple picking .

>> and then brown sugar and white sugar, and some vanilla.

>> yeah.

>> it already smells great, doesn't it?

>> really does.

>> spices, ginger, nutmeg and a little bit of salt.

>> mm-hmm.

>> okay. get that nice and whipped and just pour it right on top.

>> that's it?

>> that's it.

>> could have mix it had a little bit more, but, you know. we'll let it slide.

>> all right.

>> the top goes on there, and two hours later you're going to have the most delicious moist bread pudding right here, top it with some caramel sauce. doesn't get any better than this.

>> slow caramel.

>> we're slow cooking .

>> i bet you like a lot of caramel sauce. let's put that on there for you.

>> i want this, too. this looks too good.

Show transcript

TODAY recipes

updated 10/4/2012 5:27:25 PM ET

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Chicken pot au feu may sound fancy, but it's actually an easy and delicious dinner that can be whipped up in just a few simple steps. The literal translation of this French dish is "pot on fire," and it involves simmering meat and vegetables together and creating a flavorful broth.

Here, cookbook author and entertaining expert Katie Lee shares her tips for preparing this entrée and pairing it with a fall bistro salad and a bread pudding that's also made in a slow-cooker.

Recipe: Chicken pot au feu (on this page) Recipe: Bistro salad (on this page) Recipe: Caramel apple brioche bread pudding (on this page)

Recipe: Chicken pot au feu

Katie Lee

Ingredients

1 (3- to 4-pound) whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion, sliced
8 red-skinned new potatoes, halved
4 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces on the diagonal
3 celery ribs, cut into 1-inch pieces on the diagonal
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons fresh minced thyme
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup dry white wine
1 zucchini, cut into thin 1 1/2-inch sticks
Kosher salt and black pepper
Minced flat leaf parsley, for garnish

Preparation

Generously season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet (I use cast iron) over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown chicken about 4 minutes on each side.

Place onions, potatoes, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in the bottom of the slow cooker. Stir to combine. Place chicken on top and pour in chicken broth and white wine.

Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook for 4 to 6 hours on low or 8 to 10 hours on high. When there is one hour left to cook, add the zucchini.

Serve in bowls and garnish with parsley.

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Recipe: Bistro salad

Katie Lee

Ingredients

1 head of Bibb lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup of chopped fresh herbs (such as chives, tarragon, and parsley)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
2 tablespoons shallots, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Combine the lettuce and herbs in a medium bowl. In a glass jar or plastic container with a tight-fitting lid, combine the olive oil, vinegar, Dijon mustard, shallots, salt and pepper. Shake to combine. Pour over the salad and toss. Serve immediately.

Serving Size

Serves 4. Prep time: 15 minutes.

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Recipe: Caramel apple brioche bread pudding

Katie Lee

Ingredients

1 loaf brioche, or white country bread, cut into cubes
1 cup apples, peeled, cored and small diced
4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups whole milk
Caramel sauce
Vanilla ice cream

Preparation

Spray slow-cooker with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine bread and apples. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, vanilla and milk until well combined. Pour mixture over bread. Transfer to slow cooker. Cook on high for 2 hours or low for 3 hours.

Serve in individual serving bowls and top with a drizzle of caramel sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

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