Category: slow cooker recipes

Spicentice Chinese Chicken

I love a good curry and this is a good curry and i also love Spicentice and make no bones about how good i think their products are. This curry is designed to be cooked on the hob but i have also cooked this in the slow cooker. So here you will find the method for both ways, all i know is next time i cook it I’m making up 4 portions and freezing two as its such a fantastic fakeway.

The recipe calls for flour to thicken the sauce but i used XANTHAN GUM which you can find in most supermarkets you only need a small amount, don’t be fooled and start adding more – let the sauce reduce after you have added it and if you feel you need more add only tiny amounts.

If you want to try any of the Spicentice rubs or meal kits hit the link here →→ Spicentice
and enter code JULES20 at checkout to get 20% off your order.

The onion slicer i use in the video is on my Amazon shop press the link it will take you there then look under kitchen gadgets https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/julesthelazycook

HOB METHOD

I followed the ingredients and instructions on the card the only thing i did different was add the ginger and garlic into the stock it actually made no difference to the end taste and i didn’t use flour to thicken the curry.



SLOW COOKER METHOD

Lots of top tips in this video so keep you ears open – this method worked really well and if you are busy its a perfect solution.


by julessmithie

Slow Cooker Chinese Pork

You will not believe how easy this one is to make but trust me it is and it tastes amazing and in my book that is definitely a win\win.

The key to this recipe is get the taste to how you want it we all have different tastes so its important to get the sauce the way you like it.  You can either cook the recipe as it is and taste the sauce at the end of cooking – if you need to make any adjustments pop it in a pan add more of whatever you like …. probably honey and 5 spice then heat through or taste it before you start cooking and adjust.  Its a very hardy sauce an you cannot ruin it so dont worry and if you want a really thick sauce just reduce it down in a pan on the hob, i didn’t need to do this but as i always say all slow cookers are different.


by julessmithie

Slow Cooker Glazed Ham / Gammon

I made this for Christmas and have to say it was gorgeous, in our house at Christmas this is usually Graeme’s job but this year i decided i wanted to give it a whirl – was dreading ruining it lol. 

It all worked out fine and i have no idea what i was worrying about the glazed worked perfectly and the meat was beautifully infused. 

This is a fantastic way to cook ham or gammon for those special occasions and it really is super easy.

I used Marmalade and Ginger as the Glaze but you can use whatever flavours you like. You can also cook the ham in and liquid you like i use diluted orange juice as it adds a sweetness to the ham.

Cooking it in the slow cooker ensure the ham stays beautifully tender, after its cooked I always leave mine to cool completely the pop it in the fridge overnight then the next day add the Glaze I find this helps of you want to carve the joint.

If you over cook the ham in the slow cooker it will fall apart to prevent that happening use a digital meat thermometer and once the internal cooked temperature is reached remove it from the slow cooker.

This recipe also appears in my cookbook MY SLOW COOKER MEALS which is available on Amazon in Paperback & Kindle press here  https://amzn.eu/d/bxDzxmn

See my Amazon Shop for a digital meat thermometer look under kitchen gadgets https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/julesthelazycook


by julessmithie

Slow Cooker Hunters Chicken

I have wanted to make this for ages and finally got around to it but as always with me if there is an easy way to do it i will find it! So into the slow cooker it goes – you can easily cook this on the hob or in the oven if you wish. This is a classic family meal that i think works well in both the warmer and colder months.

If this is your first time making this recipe i would suggest you make the sauce up in a bowl and taste it you may need to adjust to it suit your taste this is true of all sauces. There is Sriracha in this (chilli sauce) if you are not a fan then leave it our, reduce the amount or add a pinch of mild chilli powder.

This will batch cook well and freeze well for those days when time is not your friend. You can also find this recipe in my cookbook MY SLOW COOKER MEALS which is available on Amazon in paperback & Kindle press here  https://amzn.eu/d/bxDzxmn

The slow cooker i use is on my Amazon Shop press the link it will take you to my shop the look under kitchen gadgets https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/julesthelazycook



by julessmithie

Lamb Bhuna by the Twisted Curry Company

I was sent some sample packs by The Twisted Curry Company to try so decided to make the Bhuna one which is one of Graeme’s favourites.  These kits are designed to be cooked on the hob but me being me decided to cook mine in the slow cooker!! and to be honest it was such an easy dish to cook it worked perfectly.


There is a review of the Bhuna at the end of the video


This will batch cook well and freeze well.


by julessmithie

Slow Cooker Pork Chops With A Creamy Mushroom Sauce

If you love an easy slow cooker recipe then this is the one! it literally takes 3 mins to prep and walk away, thats is if you dont soften down the onions before adding them to the slow cooker – i sliced mine very thinly so they would cook during the 4hrs in the slow cooker.

I know a lot of people are unsure of using pork chops because they can be dry, tasteless and chewy which is never good for an evening meal. However pork is a lean meat and relatively inexpensive so its a fantastic budget meat for a family.

Cooking pork chops in the slow cooker is a brilliant way of locking in flavour and moisture and because you are “poaching” them in a vegetable stock you are reducing the risk of them drying out.

The cream cheese i use is Primula but you can use any you like – i love cooking with Primula as it can handle high heat and doesn’t split which you need, because to get the sauce into a creamy consistency you need heat.



by julessmithie

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

Now how easy was this???? well it was super easy!!! you can of course just chop everything and throw it into the slow cooker or you can soften down the onions and fry off the beef. I would however suggest you quickly flash fry the beef.

I used diced beef and trimmed off all visible fat you could used beef strips and reduce the cooking time. You will see i added fat free natural yogurt at the end you could also use creme fraiche. Top Tip!! Leave the Stroganoff to cool slightly before adding fat free yogurt or it will split… stir the Stroganoff rapidly to take out some of the heat this action will help cool it quicker.

This recipe appears in my cookbook MY SLOW COOKER MEALS you can find it on my Amazon Shop under IDEAS LIST press the link then look under BOOKS section https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/julesthelazycook

My slow cooker is also on my Amazon Shop press the link look under ideas tab then select KITCHEN GADGETS https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/julesthelazycook


by julessmithie

Slow Cooker Chicken Stew

I love stew in the winter months they are so easy to prep and get ready and a fab way of using up all those veggies in the bottom of the fridge.

In this recipe i have used chicken thighs as its a much cheaper cut of meat and doesn’t dry out during cooking. If you want to use chicken breast leave the breast whole then once cooked dice or shred.

You can use chicken legs with the bone in but remove the skin cook the legs with the bone in then once cooked remove and take out the bone its so much easier to remove the bone once the chicken is cooked.

Lentils, add any lentils you like i used pearl barley as it works so well in a stew. Lentils swell during cooking so you may need to add a little more water depending on what vegetables you have used.

Any vegetables especially root vegetables will work in this recipe, butternut squash, swede/turnip, parsnips etc. Use whatever you have and can get hold of easily.

I was going to add dumplings to the slow cooker last 45 mins but ran out of time but they will work well with this stew.

Thickening the gravy can be done several ways probably the easiest way is to add Chicken Gravy Granules unfortunately I didn’t have any so used Xanthan Gum which is found in most supermarkets but only add small amounts at a time.

by julessmithie

Cheats BBQ Pulled Pork

I love pulled pork but removing all that fat off a joint is a real pain in the backside so i put my thinking cap on and came up with a way around it plus this simplifies the the meal and makes it a fab midweek family feast. 

As you will see i cooked mine in the slow cooker but you can cook this in the oven in a lidded casserole dish and it would work just the same. 

This will also batch cook and freeze well.

by julessmithie

Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Chicken Sliders

Looking for something a little bit different??? this is it! is was so tasty and so easy to make always a winner in my book!

I made this up as part of a batch cooking session as the recipe will serve 4 but it will also freeze well saves a job for another day!

This would make a fab weekend family meal or #fakeaway it really was good we really enjoyed it Graeme even had seconds!

  If your sauce does end up slightly too watery take the lid off the slow cooker and let it cook for a little longer or take the sauce out and pop it in a pan to reduce it down that way. I have to say i didn’t need to do any of that.

Another top tip is taste i tasted my sauce at the beginning before cooking and decided to add a couple of more splashes of Worcestershire sauce, however after cooking it was still a little tart so i added a teaspoon of BBQ sauce to to take out the sharpness. All tomato based recipes vary so much and its down to the ripeness of the tomatoes used even in passata, its usually one of the reasons small children are not always keen of tomato based dishes, the easy way around this is always add sugars….hence the brown/BBQ sauce in this recipe – you can always add more sweetener but sometimes i feel sweetener can also leave a funny artificial taste to the sauce.

by julessmithie

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Love a beef stew especially now the weather is getting colder and this one is fab! its no fuss and so easy to make and by using the slow cooker you can buy the cheapest of cuts of beef. I browned off my beef first as you will see in the video but as always the choice is yours. 

My top tip for cooking a fab beef stew is give yourself plenty of time and wherever possible always cook it on low, if the beef is tough and chewy its not cooked keep cooking until it nearly falls apart.

I added pearl barley to mine but you can use red lentils if you want they will disappear during the cooking but will still thicken the gravy – they do exactly the same job as pearl barley but if you have kids then this maybe an easier option!

Lets talk about the Jam i added yep i appreciate that sounds mad but it really does work and you need to adjust it to your taste i would suggest you add 1 teaspoon then taste again before serving and add another one if you like. If your stew has that “too beefy” taste or a “tinnie metalic” taste the jam will counteract that and the sweetness from the sugars will take that taste away. 

The biggest mistake people make when cooking a stew in the slow cooker is they add way too much water trust me it doesn’t need it.

This recipe appears in my Cookbook MY SLOW COOKER MEALS its on my Amazon shop look under COOKBOOKS

The slow cooker i use can go on the hob under the grill and in the oven again its one my Amazon shop press the below link and look under KITCHEN GADGETS

https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/julesthelazycook

by julessmithie

Slow Cooker Sausage & Onion Casserole

I have wanted to make this for ages and ive now finally got around to it!! Old School sausage and gravy casserole super easy to make but soooooooo tasty!

Use any sausages you like and add any flavours you like

If you want the gravy really thick you may need to add a touch of flour or corn flour – i didnt have to do this as the onions thickened the gravy for me

by julessmithie

Slow Cooker Lamb Rogan Josh

I love a good curry and this is a good curry plus its super simple and if your looking for something tasty through the week this is it! Its not too spicy but if you want to add more spice feel free!

You can use Lamb or Chicken the choice is yours (you don’t need to brown the chicken) Use Greek Yogurt or Natural Yogurt to stir in before serving – use as much or as little to get the desired taste, but before adding it let the curry cool slightly or you run the risk of it splitting.

As you will see i use my slow cooker inner pot to soften down the onions and brown the lamb this is because my slow cooker can go on the hob if you have the ceramic type pot then you will need to use a frying pan to do this. The slow cooker i use is on my Amazon shop press the link it will take you there then look under kitchen gadgets https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/julesthelazycook

This recipe appears in my cookbook MY SLOW COOKER MEALS which is available on Amazon in paperback & kindle press here  https://amzn.eu/d/bxDzxmn

by julessmithie

Slow Cooker Chicken (which can be turned into Roast Chicken)

Slow Cooker Chicken one of the easiest ways to cook a chicken add any flavours you want or leave plain. The chicken must be lifted off the bottom of the slow cooker you can use any old vegetables to do this, ramekins turned upside down or scrunched up foil balls to sit the chicken on this keeps it out of the juices.

More importantly the heating element of the slow cooker is directly under where you would sit the chicken and placing it straight onto the heating element isnt a great idea – you can run the risk of an uneven cook where the chicken maybe over cooked on the base but not cooked in the breast.

You dont need to add any liquid as during the cooking process the chicken will release enough it is cooked when juices run clear, i find this is the most economical way of buying chicken as its so much cheaper than buying a packet

Use whatever you like to flavour/infuse the chicken anything will work ive tried it trust me lol even though the spices sit on top of the skin it still infuses the meat

Once cooked and cooled you can remove the skin and use for lunches during the week here is a feature where i created 4 different meals from one chicken https://julesthelazycook.co.uk/2019/10/07/1-chicken-4-meals/

Or you can turn it into a roast chicken, once cooked pop it straight into a red hot oven to crisp the skin my slow cooker has an aluminium pot so i can pop mine under a grill or in the oven. BUT make sure yours can go under the grill or into a hot oven most enamel pots can’t so check the manufacturers instructions. The best way around this if you are unsure is to place the slow cooker chicken into an oven proof casserole dish then place it into the oven.

by julessmithie

Crispy Duck (pancakes ish)

I have wanted to make this for ages now and i finally got around to it i think the duck has been sitting waiting patiently in our freezer for months ha!

 But here we have it! you will see i have cooked the duck in the slow cooker the reason for this is to render all the fat from the duck but make sure its cooked through and at the same time keep it moist.

  If you dont have a slow cooker dont worry just follow the steps in the video and pop the duck into a casserole dish with a lid sit it on top of the foil as shown with a little water.  You will need to cook it on a relatively low heat until its cooked through.

There is nothing really fancy to the cooking of this one and the only thing you need to add is salt and pepper whilst pan frying the duck off its actually the hoisin sauce that gives all the flavour

So why duck pancakes ish???? i didnt have time to recreate a slimming version of the pancake but i have a cunning plan which i will share with you all at a later date! However a wrap works really well in its place……….enjoy xxx

by julessmithie

Slow Cooker Sesame Chicken

This has got to be the easiest slow cooker recipe ever it really is just mix the sauce and add it to the slow cooker with the chicken, you can use chicken breast but leave it whole during the cooking or it will dry out.

A brilliant fakeaway for those following Slimming World or those Calorie Counting as its meals like this that keep us on plan.

Once you have mixed the sauce you will see there isn’t lot of sauce to this recipe which means it will cook quickly in the slow cooker as the slow cooker isn’t filled with liquid, i would suggest if this is the first time you are cooking this recipe you are in the house. All slow cookers work slightly differently so its easy for the sauce to cook off or reduce too far.

If you need to thicken the sauce you can either turn the slow cooker up to high and remove the lid and leave it to thicken probably last hour of cooking or use corn flour mixed with cold water to create a slurry.

by julessmithie

Slow Cooker Honey Roast Pork

This was super easy to make but packed full of flavour you could also make this in the oven if you want not a problem at all.

Use any cut of pork it will work i always remove the fat once the pork is cooked but as always the choice is yours – i have also put a little top tip of how to remove the fat from the sauce if you want to use it after the pork is cooked

by julessmithie

Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef

Well this was such an easy dish to make i couldn’t believe something so easy was going to turn out so tasty and boy was it tasty. The only area’s with this one is dont add too much water only add enough to cover the contents and then the other one is how to thicken the sauce you can use corn flour i used red lentils which are a blessing in disguise if you ever add too much liquid to a dish regardless of how your cooking it, because the lentils dissolve into the meal and they leave no taste!
I cooked this on medium for about 6 hours

by julessmithie

Slow Cooker Rice Pudding

Ooooo yes! it can be done! and its so easy to make and once you have made it you will be making it in huge batches! The lovely thing about this is that you can add any flavours you want and any sweeteners you want.

My top tip is remove the cooked rice from the slow cooker once its cooked or the residual heat of the ceramic pot will carry on cooking the rice and turn it into “clag” and no one likes claggy rice! if it does get a little too thick just add a little more milk.

This recipe batch cooks well and it freezes well too its one recipe that when the colder months arrive is on my menu weekly.

by julessmithie

Slow Cooker juniper infused Lamb

Got to give it to the other half this was absolutely amazing! really loved the taste but watch how much salt you use in the rub or it will come through into the Lamb.  But another easy recipe for you to try it just needs marinating the night before and makes a lovely change for Sunday Lunch

My advice is to make sure you give yourself plenty of time to cook it i like to cook lamb long and low this joint i used was only a small leg of lamb ( i have a 3.5ltr slow cooker) so you should be able to judge the size i used the large cut of lamb you use i would add more juniper berries to help bring through the flavour into the cooked meat

Slimming world syns = Zero

by julessmithie