Guest Post by Elizabeth Kelly

What can you do when it’s too hot to cook? With temperatures rising every year, the last thing home cooks  want to do in the summer is heat up the whole house with a blazing hot oven. It’s a lucky thing that the slow cooker has come back into style. Nothing makes it easier to make a family-style dinner that is wholesome and filling, yet keeps the kitchen (and the cook) as cool as the proverbial cucumber.

Honey mustard chicken with vegetables is a great go-to recipe for a hot day. It’s wholesome without being too heavy, and it generally pleases a multitude of palates. Keep the chicken breasts whole and you can serve it as an entree by itself with a salad on the side.

If you cut up the chicken and serve it over rice or pasta, slow cooked honey mustard chicken is a healthy, low fat one-bowl meal, and what Mom doesn’t love one-bowl meals? That means easier cleanup!

Slow Cooker Honey Mustard Chicken and Veggies Recipe

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
• 1 12 oz. pkg broccoli cuts, thawed and drained
• 16 baby carrots, sliced in half lengthwise
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp. fresh ginger or 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 2/3 cups Dijon mustard
• 1/3 cup honey

Directions: Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cook on low 4-6 hours or high for 3 hours, until chicken is cooked through. Serves four.

Tips and tricks for Slow Cooker Honey Mustard Chicken

• If the carrots are extra thick, slice them into quarters so they cook all the way through.
• Add crushed red pepper flakes if you would like it spicier.
• Serve over regular rice, brown rice, orzo or penne pasta for variety.
• Add curry powder for an exotic twist.
• Kids may prefer the taste of regular mustard (and you might add more honey if they’re extra picky).