Cajun Chicken with Sausage

This is our ultimate favorite slow cooker freezer meal. I asked Mark to choose what he wanted for dinner tonight and I was not one bit surprised that he picked this one. I first made it for Fat Tuesday last year. I wanted to do something fun to celebrate, so I found a Cajun recipe and I brought home a mini king cake from Merritt's. I want to thank Google and McCormick for helping me with this recipe. This makes two meals by splitting the recipe in half between 2 gallon-sized freezer bags.

Cajun Chicken with Sausage fresh out of the freezer

Ingredients

1tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (I use a little less because I'm a wimp)
1 package (14oz) turkey Kielbasa sausage, cut in 1-inch pieces
2 cups coarsely chopped onions
1 cup coarsely chopped green bell pepper
1 cup coarsely chopped red bell pepper
1 cup sliced celery
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
4 bay leaves
6 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)
2 cups instant white rice

Directions

1) Write on 2 gallon freezer bags: Cajun Chicken with Sausage, the date, and the following instructions: Cook8 hours on low or 4 hours on high until chicken and vegetables are cooked. Remove chicken to a cutting board, dice it into bite-sized pieces, then return it to the slow cooker.  Add 1 cup instant rice to slow cooker, stir and cook on high for 15-20 minutes until rice is tender. Remove bay leaves before serving.
2) Chop onions, bell peppers, and celery - divide between the two bags.
3) Cut the kielbasa on a diagonal - divide between the two bags. 
4) Open the can of tomatoes, and measure out chicken broth - divide between the two bags.
5) Divide the seasonings (paprika, thyme, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper) between the two bags.
6) Put 3 chicken thighs in each bag
7) Press the air out of the bags and seal them shut. Lay them flat in your freezer.  

Split Pea Sausage Soup

 Recipe and image courtesy of: http://bookcooking.net/showthread.php?tid=5092

This soup is delicious! It's easily become one of our favorites. I modified the recipe to work for a slow cooker freezer meal. It make 2 meals. I split the recipe in half to fill two gallon-sized freezer bags.

Ingredients
1 pound dried split peas
10 cups water
1 package (14oz.) cooked turkey kielbasa, sliced
6 cubes chicken bouillon
1 1/2 cups chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
1 package frozen potatoes. I use the Steam N' Mash cut russet potatoes
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1 onion, chopped
 
Directions
1) Write on 2 gallon freezer bags: Split Pea Sausage Soup, the date, and the following instructions: Add 5 cups water. Cook on high 4-5 hours. Remove bay leaf before serving. -->

2) Chop onion, carrot, and celery - divide between the two bags. 3) Cut the kielbasa on a diagonal - divide between the two bags. 4) Divide the frozen potatoes between the two bags. 5) Divide the seasonings (bouillon, garlic powder, oregano and bay leaves) between the two bags. 6) Press the air out of the bags and seal them shut. Lay them flat in your freezer.