Slow-Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
Slow-Cooker
Chicken Cacciatore
Slow-cooker
to the rescue...again! It's been pretty busy around
the Al & Peg House as of late. Weekends are
doubly-busy, so in order to make good eats, we need
some help. Whilst we're scurrying around the house,
the slow-cooker is doing all the hard work.
Peg found this naturally gluten-free recipe:
http://www.recipe.com/slow-cooker-chicken-cacciatore/?esrc=nwrc071212pinc
The original recipe calls for chicken drumsticks, but
we used thighs instead - more meat on the thighs.
Ingredients:
2 cups sliced fresh
mushrooms
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup chopped carrot
2 medium onions, cut into wedges
1 green, yellow, or red sweet pepper, cut into strips
4 cloves garlic, minced
12 chicken thighs, skinned (about 3-1/2 pounds)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 14-1/2-ounce can
diced tomatoes
1/3 cup tomato paste
Directions:
1. Combine
mushrooms, celery, carrot, onions, sweet peppers, and
garlic in a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker. Place chicken
on vegetables. Combine broth, wine, tapioca, sugar,
oregano, bay leaves, salt, and pepper; pour over
chicken.
2. Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 7 hours
or on high-heat setting for 3 to 3-1/2 hours.
3. Remove chicken; cover to keep warm. Remove and
discard bay leaves. If using low-heat setting, turn
to high-heat setting. Stir in undrained tomatoes and
the tomato paste. Cover and cook for 15 minutes more.
Serve vegetable mixture over chicken and cooked pasta
or rice.
Until the next good
eats...
Al & Peg
Chili Con Carne
This is the style of chili that I grew up on. Rarely did we have the "soup-like with pasta" type chili. Peg prefers the "soup-like" chili so she uses my chili as a "concentrate" to create her type [see below]
My mom and I would take a spoonful of chili and place it on top of a Saltine. This is how I learned how to eat chili. It was nothing for me go thru at least an entire sleeve of crackers this way. I shudder at thought of this now. Good grief...
Also, as a kid, I picked out the beans because I didn't like them. Now I like them, but Peg picks them out for "preventative measures". Funny how things change...
Chili Con Carne
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
2 cans of diced tomatoes (use fresh if you have 'em)
or 1 jar of Newman's Mild Salsa
1 diced medium onion
2 stalks diced celery
1 diced bell pepper (pick your favorite color or colors)
1 can of kidney beans (I prefer Joan of Arc)
1 - 2 teaspoons Penzey's Chili Con Carne spice blend (start small, you can always add if needed)
1 - 2 teaspoons gluten-free Worcestershire sauce
(Lea & Perrins brand is gluten-free, many brands are not)
Salt to taste
V8 or tomato juice
GF Beer (optional)
A few ounces of shredded cheese (garnish)
1 - 2 Green onions (garnish)
1 fresh diced tomato (garnish)
Directions:
Add peppers, celery and onions to pan, add pinch of salt and Penzey's Chili Con Carne spice mix
Saute' until slightly soft.
Add ground beef and brown on med-high heat. Remove any excess grease.
Drain and add beans - stir
Add canned tomatoes or salsa - stir
Add 1 - 2 cups of liquid (V8/Tomato Juice/GF Beer) - stir
Add Worcestershire sauce - stir
Allow chili to come to a good bubble and reduce heat to simmer.
Stir occasionally.
Salt & season to taste
Simmer for 10 - 15 minutes. If chili becomes too thick - add more liquid of choice.
Options:
Soup-like Chili with Pasta Note: Gluten pasta requires you to be be mindful of cross contamination risks.
Make your favorite pasta and set aside.
Place several scoops of Chili Con Carne into a larger pan on low heat
Add 16 - 24 oz of V8/Tomato Juice
Add cooked pasta
Simmer until heated
Salt & season to taste
You might need to re-season this chili depending on how hot you like it. I tend to like my chili spicier than Peg, so when she adds the liquid and the pasta - it's about right for her tastes.
Notes:
If you are using canned tomatoes, they are going to be sweeter and less spicy than salsa. You'll need to adjust amount of chili seasoning depending on the tomato product used. Taste as you go...
Until the next good eats...
Al