I had a horrible commute yesterday, the people in our birthing class acted like 12 year old boys last night (Hi, we all clearly know about sex, that's why were here, can we not laugh like idiots) and I just wasn't in the mood. There is a pukey little dog at our house and the carpet that we had installed FIVE DAYS AGO is fraying. In the middle of the bedroom. Needless to say I cried and ate chocolate before 8am this morning.
So instead of dwelling on that, I will instead focus on something that worked for me recently. This crockpot recipe for Chicken Cacciatore. I don't know if it me, or if it's the crockpot recipes I pick, but I seem to struggle mightily with them. Too much liquid, not enough liquid, or they straight up aren't even worth making because they taste terrible.
But this was different. This one worked! I did the quick method (no browning) and made a few other adjustments, which are noted below. It took me about 15 minutes to prep and then I sang the "I feel like chicken tonight" jingle for the rest of the day. But seriously, this was pretty cheap, covered 3 meals for us (plus one lunch) and will be added to the regular dinner rotation.
I recently added Belle on Heels to my blog roll as it's become a regular read for me. She has done some posts on Pinterest/internet recipes that have and haven't worked for her. I enjoy those posts because they're a good source of ideas for recipes that WORK and it's comforting to see that someone else has Pinterest recipe fails. :) So consider this post me paying it forward today. Hope you have a better day than I've been having (although I guess a day that starts with dark chocolate salted caramels can't be all bad in the end).
Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore from SkinnyTaste.com
Notes: I used 2 boneless/skinless breasts and 4 skinless/bone in thighs as [Husband] is not a huge dark meat fan, and I did the "quick method" no browning to make the prep time shorter. I used two whole red bell peppers and we were out of bayleaf, so I did not include that, but I sure it adds that extra something if you have it available. I thought the chicken sitting right on the bottom of the crock would result in dried out, struck-to-the-pot chicken, but it was actually just fine. I did run the crock pot on high for one hour, sans lid, and the sauce thickened as promised. I am a lady who enjoys her sauce and this was plenty thick and saucy for me. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 8 chicken thighs, with the bone, skin removed
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
- 1/2 green bell pepper, sliced into strips
- 1/2 large onion, sliced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and fresh pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup fresh herbs such as basil or parsley for topping
Directions:
Quick method: Season chicken with salt and black pepper and place in the slow cooker. Pour tomatoes over the chicken, top with onions and peppers, add oregano, bay leaf, salt and pepper, give it a quick stir and cover. Set crock pot to LOW 8 hours or HIGH 4 hours. When the timer beeps, remove lid and keep the crock pot on HIGH one hour to help it thicken.
Browning method/requires longer prep/makes thicker sauce: Heat a large skillet over medium-high, lightly spray with oil (I use my Misto) and brown chicken on both sides a few minutes, season with salt and pepper. Add to the slow cooker. To the skillet, spray with a little more oil and add onions and peppers. Sauté until juices release and the vegetables become golden, a few minutes.
Add to the slow cooker. Pour tomatoes over the chicken and vegetables, add oregano, bay leaf, salt and pepper, give it a quick stir and cover. Set crock pot to LOW 8 hours or HIGH 4 hours.
Remove bay leaf, adjust salt and pepper and enjoy!
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