Lazy Chicken and Potatoes

I used to be a meal planner… I would sit down over the weekend and plan out meals for the coming week, complete with shopping list and “do ahead” notes so that I would remember to prepare some meals ahead of time on busy days.

Lately, I’m lucky if I know what I’m making for dinner before 5:00pm.  I usually end up throwing something together at the last minute, hoping that it will turn out to be edible, and if I’m lucky, worthy of being posed on my blog.

This week has been busier than most.  I’m still amazed that I had the foresight to throw this dinner in the slow cooker on Tuesday morning. Come Tuesday evening, though, my hubby and I were both glad that I had taken a few minutes in the morning to whip up a quick dinner.  Let me tell you – it was not the first time that my slow cooker saved me from a sub-par fast food dinner because I was too busy to cook.

I had some potatoes and peppers from our CSA, so I decided to chop them up and cook them with some split chicken breast from the freezer.  The best part?  I didn’t even have to remember to thaw out the chicken!

Lazy Chicken and Potatoes

• 1 1/2 pounds baby potatoes (red and brown), quartered
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 poblano pepper, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pieces split chicken breast

Line the bottom of the slow cooker with the potatoes, onion, bell pepper, poblano pepper, and garlic. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with cumin and chili powder.  Season with salt and pepper.  Arrange the chicken breast on top of the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with a little bit of chili powder.

Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours, until the internal temperature of the chicken has reached 165°F.  (If the chicken is not frozen, the cooking time will be shorter.)  Cut the chicken off of the bones and serve with the potatoes.  My hubby added some BBQ sauce to his chicken and potatoes, and I must admit, it was a tasty combo!