Honey Dijon Beef/Chicken and Red Potatoes

Crockpot Honey Dijon Beef/Chicken and Red Potatoes

Yields: One gallon-sized freezer bag with 6 servings (I doubled this recipe and made two bags – one with beef and one with chicken)

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds of meat, fat trimmed (I made one bag with boneless chicken breasts and one bag with a boneless beef chuck shoulder roast) •

• 1/4 cup honey •

• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (or whole grain mustard) •

• 2 teaspoons black pepper •

• 1/2 teaspoon salt •

• 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme •

• 1/2 cup water* not needed until day of cooking •

• 16oz bag of baby red potatoes (I buy the bags of fresh baby potatoes sold in the produce section)

MATERIALS

• • 1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag

PREP

• 1. Label your freezer bag.

• 2. To your gallon-sized freezer bag, add all ingredients (except water and potatoes).

• 3. Remove as much air from the gallon-sized freezer bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer.

• 4. Place bag of potatoes in freezer.

COOK

• 1. The night before cooking, move gallon-sized freezer bag to your refrigerator to thaw.

• 2. The morning of cooking, pour contents of gallon-sized freezer bag into your crockpot and add water and frozen potatoes. (I don’t thaw my potatoes because I worry about them getting brown while cooking.)

• 3. Cook on low setting for 6 hours (chicken) or 8 hours (beef), or until meat is tender.

• 4. If using beef, shred meat before serving. 5. Serve with steamed broccoli or a salad.

In Oven:

Ingredients 

• ▢4-5 chicken thighs bone in, skin on or off

• ▢1/4 teaspoon salt to season

• ▢1/4 teaspoon pepper to season

• ▢1-1/2 tablespoons garlic powder

• ▢1 tablespoon olive oil

• ▢1 tablespoon minced garlic

• ▢1/4 cup honey

• ▢3 tablespoons wholegrain mustard

• ▢2 tablespoons dijon mustard

• ▢2 tablespoons water

• ▢1 pound baby red potatoes quartered

• ▢8 ounces green beans halved – optional

• ▢1-2 rosemary sprigs – optional

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Generously season chicken thighs with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

• Heat olive oil in a large, oven-proof non stick pan (or a well-seasoned cast iron skillet) over medium-high heat. Sear chicken thighs for 3 minutes each side, until the skin becomes golden and crisp. Leave 2 tablespoons of chicken juices in the pan for added flavour, and drain any excess.

• Fry the garlic in the same pan around the chicken for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the honey, both mustards, and water to the pan, mixing well, and combine all around the chicken.

• Add in the potatoes; mix them through the sauce. Season with salt and pepper, to your tastes. Allow the honey mustard sauce to simmer for two minutes, then transfer to the hot oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the chicken is completely cooked through to the bone and no linger pink in the middle.

• OPTIONAL: Remove from the oven after 30 minutes; add in the green beans (mixing them through the sauce), and return to the oven to bake for a further 15 minutes, or until the chicken is completely cooked through and no longer pink in the middle, and the potatoes are fork tender.

Notes

Try removing your tray from the oven after 30 minutes and adding your chosen greens to the dish. Story them through the sauce and then return your tray to the oven.