Crockpot Chicken Dinner

I got this recipe from a friend a while back and thought I would try it! It cooked a little too long, but other than that, it was really tasty! I just followed the recipe, but I think I must have a really good crockpot because it seems food takes less time in my crockpot than what all the recipes say. Anyway, this was really quick to put together, and all you have to do is wait for it to get done--then you have a nice meal ready for your family!


Ingredients:
3 medium potatoes, cut into chunks
1/2 lb. fresh baby carrots (or chopped whole carrots)
2 medium onions, cut into chunks (we used minced onion)
1-2 lbs. Chicken tenders (or turkey)
1 can condensed tomato soup, undiluted
1/3 cup water 1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. salt

Directions:
In 5-qt. slow cooker, layer potatoes, carrots, and onions. Top with meat. Combine soup, water, garlic, seasonings, and salt; pour over meat. Cover and cook on high for 7-8 hours or until meat is cooked and veggies are tender.
(Read below for my suggestions)

I only had ours cooking for 6 1/2 hours and it seemed like it was cooked too much. The veggies were a little mushy (but still good!), and the meat seemed a little dry. I think with my crockpot, 5-6 hours would be fine. I wonder if the 7-8 hours is if you use frozen chicken. We bought the chicken the day before we made this and kept it in the fridge, so it was not frozen. That could make a difference (but I read somewhere that it's not good using frozen chicken in the crockpot because it has to get to a certain temperature by a certain time, otherwise bacteria could get in your food). I'm also wondering if maybe it would be good to put the chicken on the bottom and veggies on top. That way the chicken would soak up more of the soup mixture and be more juicy. I don't know! We might experiment doing it that way and see how it turns out.

Anyway, just add a salad and veggies and homemade wheat bread to this chicken dinner, and it makes a nice, healthy and delicious meal! :)