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Cream Cheese Chicken & Broccoli

Source of Recipe

Pam~(anieema)


List of Ingredients

4 lbs. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, FROZEN
Olive Oil
Salt And Pepper To Taste
1 Package Of Dry Italian Salad Dressing Mix
(Good Seasons Is Fine)
1 Can Condensed Low-Fat Cream Of Chicken Soup
1 8 Oz Brick Of Low-Fat Cream Cheese Or Neufchatel, Cut Up In Cubes
1/4 Cup Dry Sherry Or Dry White Wine
(Optional, Can Use All Chicken Juices Instead)
1 Large Onion
1/2 Lb. Sliced Fresh Mushrooms
Crushed Garlic To Taste
10 Oz. Frozen Broccoli Florets


Recipe

Spritz chicken breasts with olive oil from a mister and sprinkle with the dry Italian salad dressing mix (I did two layers in my Crock-Pot to make sure that the Italian seasoning got on all the chicken and not just those pieces on top).
Cover and cook on LOW for 3-4 hours if using a newer crockpot. If using a crockpot older than five years old, check for doneness at 4 hours on LOW, but they will probably need 4-6 hours on LOW.
About 45 minutes before done, sauté the onion and sliced mushrooms in a pan with cooking spray and then add the cream cheese, soup, and sherry to the saucepan, along with 1/4 cup of the juices that accumulate in the Crock-Pot, heat gently. If you have a fat separator, be sure to use that on the juices first. Add the crushed garlic and stir all ingredients until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Pour sauce mixture over chicken in Crock-Pot (do not drain out the rest of the juices, but use a fat separator on them if you can), add frozen florets and cook an additional 30-45 minutes. Remove chicken to platter and stir sauce before putting in gravy boat.
Serve over mashed potatoes, boiled egg noodles or fettuccini noodles.

NOTES: This is a lower fat version of a classic crock pot recipe. I do not recommend using any non-fat substitutions, they just do not blend together as well in the end. Do not defrost the breasts first, it helps keep them from drying out.

One thing I had started doing not noted above, is cubing the chicken, misting with the olive oil and tossing with salad dressing mix prior to freezing it. I then just toss it into the crock pot to cook for three to four hours on LOW and proceed with the recipe from there. Done this way, no knives are needed to eat the recipe.