#151: Slow Cook Chicken Cacciatore

That is NOT a pretty picture.

Always looking for a crockpot recipe involving chicken, I came across this one at Taste of Home.  I prepped this on my freezer cooking day, took it out of the freezer the day before so I could defrost it enough to fit it into my crockpot and then just let it cook (mostly still frozen) all day. 

The girls weren't big fans of this, but since it's served with spaghetti they don't care what else is for dinner.  That was my mistake!  Brian enjoyed it though and even took the chicken for leftovers for lunch today.  I however, had mixed feelings on this one.  It wasn't bad, but it wasn't fantastic either.  Something in the Italian Seasoning was giving it an odd flavor.  Maybe it was because I didn't brown the chicken first, but that was a step I wasn't willing to do since it was going in the crock.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil (I omitted...see time saving tip below)
3 pounds chicken parts, skin removed (I used chicken breast tenders)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, crushed
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes in puree
1 pound mushrooms, cut in half (about 5 cups) (I omitted)
2 medium onions, chopped (about 2 cups) (I used 1, and quartered it)
1 medium green pepper, cut into 2-inch-long strips (about 1 1/2 cups) (I used 3/4 c)
1 1/2 cups Swanson® Chicken Stock
1/4 cup cornstarch (I forgot to add this)
1 package (16 ounces) pappardelle or fettuccine, cooked and drained (I used spaghetti since that's what we had on hand)


Directions
Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until well browned on all sides.


Stir the garlic, Italian seasoning, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, pepper and 1 cup stock in a 6-quart slow cooker. Add the chicken and turn to coat.  Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the cooker and keep warm.


(I totally forgot this step, so our "juice" was REALLY runny.) Stir the cornstarch and remaining stock in a small bowl until the mixture is smooth. Stir the cornstarch mixture in the cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 10 minutes or until the mixture boils and thickens. Serve with the chicken and pappardelle. Yield: 6 servings.


Time-Saving Tips: This recipe may also be cooked on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours.  To save on prep time, you can skip browning the chicken and just add it to the cooker as directed in the second step.