Chicken Stroganoff

Last night I had some friends over for dinner.  Since I started my new job this week, I got home maybe ten minutes before they came over.  Fortunately, I had planned for this, and made Chicken Stroganoff in the Crock Pot.  Very easy recipe-- only two steps!

Step 1: put cubed chicken in the CP with butter and a packet of Italian dressing mix.  (The recipe called for margarine, but I don't buy that so I used butter.)

Do not add any additional liquid; this way, the chicken comes out browned and lovely 5-6 hours on low later, which is when you're supposed to do step 2.  I got home more like 6.5-7 hours later, but it didn't seem to matter.

Step 2: add one can cream of chicken soup (I used the Healthy Request low-sodium/low-fat version) and 8 oz. cream cheese.

Leave on low for another 1/2 hour or so (until cheese is melted and everything is combined).  Serve over rice or pasta-- I used tri-color rotini.

There are no more pictures, because we ate it too fast.  This made the perfect amount for four hungry people-- no leftovers!

Verdict: good, but could be better.
Known issues:
1. All the cream cheese and CoCh soup made it VERY rich and thick-- too thick for my taste.  Solution: use sour cream (the traditional thickener in Stroganoff) instead of cream cheese and maybe a little milk or white wine to thin it out.
2. Rather salty, probably due to the Italian dressing packet.  Solution: use 1/2 packet, or preferably, mix up your own seasonings.

All in all, however, a very fun evening with minimal stress about food preparation.  What more can a working girl ask?

PS-- we also watched the movie Waitress.  Very funny and a little sad, all at the same time.