I am in a love affair...with my slow cooker! I don't think I ever understood how easy this little appliance could make my life until I received one at one of my bridal showers. Can you believe I wasn't even registered for one?!? Yep, Sharon Reed just knew it would come in handy for my many domestic ventures! It has welcomed me home after a long days work to many a soups, stews, and even tacos and I am so grateful for it:)
Tonight I made, for the third time, Clean Eating's Slow-Cooker Chicken Cassoulet. I will say, the actual dish looks nothing like the picture in the cookbook, but tastes quite lovely! This time I added an additional step of shredding the chicken just before I served it (made super simple with
this!) and Chris and I agree it makes the dish ten times better. Mainly because it makes it more of a stew and you take advantage of every last drop since the chicken is combined with the veggies and beans!
I was thinking this morning that I wouldn't have any new recipes to post this week with it being Thanksgiving and my keeping our menu planner really simple. But as we were having dinner Chris asked if I had ever posted this recipe. He seemed to think it crazy not to share this one, so here you have it!
Slow Cooker Chicken Cassoulet
1 (15 oz) can navy beans, pinto beans or black-eyed peas, rinsed and well drained
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 2/3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
4 celery stalks, trimmed and chopped
4 garlic cloves passed trough a garlic press
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1/4 cup fresh basil
1 T. thyme
2 Tbsp. fresh minced parsley
And just a side note, fresh herbs can be substituted for dried herbs, just make sure to use a bit less since they are more concentrated.
1. Spread half the beans in the bottom of the slow cooker.
2. Season chicken with pepper and sea salt. Heat oil over medium heat in a skillet. Brown the chicken on both sides (about 2-3 minutes each side). Place the browned chicken on top of the beans in the slow cooker. Top with remaining beans and chicken broth.
3. Saute the onion, celery, sun-dried tomatoes, carrots, garlic and herbs using the same skillet. Spread this mixture over the chicken. Cover and put on low heat for several hours.
Woot! As we got home last night our Farm Fresh to You box was graciously sitting at our doorstep, bursting with delicious produce! I think I got a little too excited about the green beans (one of my favorite veggies) and was pleasantly suprised to find Kale among our goods (another fave of mine!). Which also gives me a chance to try out kale chips this week. Ever since my friend Blythe raved about how delish they were, I can't seem to get it off my mind! And of course, my husband was pretty stoked about the oranges. Oh, the simple things in life!
