My Top 5 Slow Cooker Recipes

It's no secret that I absolutely love my slow cooker it is hands down my favourite and most used kitchen appliance.

So today I thought I'd share with you my top 5 tried and tested slow cooker recipes for easy, tasty, slow cooked dinners.

Be sure to check out my Instagram and Facebook pages as I share a lot of recipes on there as well and have included links to more of my slow cooker recipes at the bottom of this post .... happy slow cooking!

Slow Cooked Chicken + Vegetable Curry

I have a Sunbeam Sear and Slow Cooker which means I can brown in it and then slow cook in it as well which is great as it means just one pot to wash up after dinner, it retains all those lovely flavours in the one pot and it makes it quicker and easier to prepare.

For these recipes if you have a normal slow cooker you can just brown in a pan and then add it to your slow cooker.

My Top 5 Slow Cooker Recipes

1.  An Old Favourite .... Slow Cooked Apricot Chicken

Apricot Chicken is a favourite dish from my childhood that I have adjusted with some added spices. Remember to always heat up spices before using them as this releases the flavour and brings them to life. 

RECIPE: Brown chicken thighs and chopped onion, celery and carrot. Add the spices - coriander, cumin and garam masala and heat until fragrant. Stir in a packet of french onion soup mix and a tin of apricots in juice and season with salt and pepper. Put the lid on and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Remove lid and cook on low until sauce thickens. I throw in some extra vegetables at the end like green beans and peas as these don't take long to cook. So tasty served over rice or couscous. 

Apricot Chicken

2.  When You're Feeling Fancy .... Slow Cooked Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken Cacciatore was the first dish I ever cooked for friends I think I was about 20 years old and they were over to watch a Big Brother finale on TV as I recall! I thought it was a very grown up dish as I got to cook with wine!!

RECIPE: Heat oil and brown chicken (thighs or drumsticks) and remove. Cook a chopped onion, celery, carrots and crushed garlic. Add the chicken back in with a jar of tomato passata, 1 cup of red wine, 1/2 a cup of chicken stock, mixed herbs, bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Stir well, put the lid on and cook on low for 8 hours. Add mushrooms and olives in last 30 minutes of cooking. Serve over creamy mashed potatoes and pour the remaining red wine into a glass and enjoy!

Chicken Cacciatore

3.  Easy As Slow Cooker Pulled Beef or Pork

I never knew how easy it was to do pulled beef or pork in the slow cooker and now that I do there's no stopping me! I make this dish quite often and serve with either hard tacos with salad, cheese, sour cream and salsa or with soft tortillas and a coleslaw.

RECIPE: Coat the beef or pork roast in a dry rub made from chilli powder, mixed herbs, salt and pepper (do this the night before if you can for extra flavour). Heat oil and brown the meat all over and then put in the slow cooker, lid on and cook on low for 6 hours. Just before serving remove the meat and shred with forks and then return shredded meat to slow cooker so it can soak up any juice in the pot and be delicious and tender. You can find my detailed recipe for Pulled Pork here.

Pulled beef tacos

Pulled pork tortillas

4.  Not Just A Sunday Roast ... Slow Cooker Turkey or Beef

Roasts are no longer just a Sunday treat we are now enjoying a roast and vegetables midweek because it's so easy to prepare. I am a fan of the chicken and turkey rolled roasts (like this turkey roast) as they're stuffed it keeps the meat tender. You must brown the meat well before slow cooking so it holds its shape - if you don't brown the meat it will fall apart and be more like shredded meat.

RECIPE: These roasts turkey (first photo) and beef (second photo) I cooked with the same method. Heated oil and browned it well all over and sat it on top of roughly chopped carrots, potatoes and onions. Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 7 hours. I use some of the lovely cooking juices to make gravy and keep the rest of the juices to use as stock (it's a delicious stock to add to soup).

Rolled turkey roast with vegetables

Beef roast with vegetables

5.  Best Ever Pasta Sauce ... In the Slow Cooker

I can whip up a pretty quick pasta sauce on the stovetop but a pasta sauce slow cooked all day tastes amazing as it makes all the difference letting the tomatoes cook out for hours. 

RECIPE: Heat oil and cook crushed garlic, chopped chilli, finely chopped onion, carrot and celery. Add chopped chirozo or bacon for extra flavour and some Italian style sausages (skins removed and cut into bite size pieces) and brown. Add a cup of red wine, tin of tomatoes, jar of tomato pissata, mixed herbs and fennel seeds. Put the lid on and cook on low for 6 hours. Add a handful of olives in the last 30 minutes. Cook pasta, drain and mix into your delicious tomato sauce and serve topped with cheese.

Sausage, Tomato + Olive Pasta

I have not given exact measurements for these recipes feel free to add a bit of this and a bit of that you can't really go wrong with one pot dinners like these. If you have any questions or want to know quantities please leave me a comment :)

What is your favourite slow cooker recipe?

Check out my other slow cooker recipes:

Best Ever Bolognese Sauce in Slow Cooker
Slow Cooker Sausage Stroganoff
Slow Cooked Old Fashioned Curried Sausages
Slow Cooked Chinese Chicken Hot Pot
Slow Cooked Beef in Orange and Soy Sauce
Sear and Slow Cooker Recipes


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[All images my own]