A thermal cooker not only makes good food, it can rescue you from heat and suffering. Chef Blondie shows you how.
Hello, my friends. I’m here to tell you that on one of the hottest and muggiest days Serendipity Farmhouse has seen this season—complete with thunderclaps, surprise downpours, and humidity you could slice with a butter knife—Sous Chef Fuzzy and I still managed to put a full dinner on the table without breaking a sweat.
Use Our Thermal Cooker Master Recipe
And we didn’t just make any dinner. We made lemon pepper chicken with tasty potatoes, a silky gravy, and crisp green beans. All of it—yes, all of it—was done with a humble thermal cooker. No oven, no hours standing over a stove, and no heat filling up the kitchen. That’s what we call cooking smarter, not hotter.
The best part? While that cooker quietly did its slow-and-steady magic, Fuzzy and I stepped outside between storms to pick fresh raspberries right here on the ‘vast estate’ (okay, 1.203 acres). Those sweet little gems turned into the perfect light dessert to round out our summer feast.
In our latest video, you’ll see just how easy this meal is to prepare. It’s what I call a “master recipe”—one that can change with the season, your pantry, or whatever’s coming out of the garden. Swap out the chicken for pork, turkey, or beef. Use carrots, zucchini, or whatever veggies suit your mood. The method stays simple, the results stay delicious.
✨ No electricity? No problem.
🌡️ Sweltering heat? Not a worry.
🍴 Tasty, complete meal? Guaranteed.
So if you’re looking for a way to keep cooking through the summer without heating up your kitchen, come see how it’s done the Serendipity way. Pull up a chair, pour yourself a glass of something chilled, and enjoy the show.
🎥 Watch the full video and see how you can beat the summer heat—Serendipity style.
Ready to cook smarter and slower this season? Dive into the recipe, the raspberries, and the rhythm of homestead cooking.
For more about the versatility of thermal cookers check out our videos here and here. For more detail check out our posts here and here.
New Lemon Pepper Chicken with Potatoes, Gravy & Green Beans
Ingredients
- • 5–6 Yukon Gold or red potatoes, halved or quartered
- • 1½ to 2 lbs chicken tenders or boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
- • 1–2 tbsp lemon pepper seasoning
- • 3 pats (approx. 1½ tbsp) butter
- • 1⅓ cup water (or enough to just cover chicken in bag)
- • 1½ to 2 cups green beans (fresh or canned)
- • ⅓ cup instant thickener (e.g. Ultra Gel)
Instructions
- Layer Base - Place 5 - 6 potatoes in the bottom of the 7 liter pot.
- Prepare Chicken Pack - In a Reynolds type oven bag: add chicken, lemon pepper seasoning; Mix by kneading gently from the outside of the bag. Flatten the bag and place on top of potatoes. Let the top of the bag drape over the side of the pot; secure under handle. Use the handle to secure the bag.
- Add Water - Pour hot water into the pot, just enough to cover the chicken inside the bag.
- Boil Meat and Potatoes - Bring entire pot (potatoes + chicken pack) to a boil. Boil gently for 10 minutes.
- Top Pot: Green Beans - In the 2.5 L top pot, cook green beans with a little water or seasoning of choice during the boil.
- Transfer to Thermal Cooker - Stack the small pot over the large one and place into the thermal unit. Let cook undisturbed for 2–6 hours.
- Final Touch: Gravy - Remove oven bag and vegetables when ready to serve. Sprinkle thickener into the hot liquid in the bag. Carefully knead bag from the outside with a hot pad. Let sit for 5 minutes to thicken into gravy.
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