recipes

Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Stew

December 18

Winter is creeping closer, the grey days are definitely here and it’s time to break out the big guns: hearty, warming dishes that’ll keep the cold at bay. A favourite in our house and one that our boys will devour is this recipe for Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Stew. If you’ve got a slow cooker, this is the perfect recipe to throw in before you head out on a chilly morning. (It can of course also be made in a heavy casserole pot with a lid- allowed to blip away into submission). Tender chicken, creamy beans, and hearty vegetables are slow-cooked in a rich tomato and herb broth. By the time you get home, your kitchen will smell like what I imagine a stereotypical Italian countryside kitchen to smell like! Dinner is then an assembly job with almost no effort at all.

Serves 4
3 ½ - 5 ½ hours, depending on your slow cooker setting

Method

1. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
2. Add the oil and butter to a large frying pan and add the chicken, allowing it to cook over a medium heat until browned. Once browned, remove the chicken from the pan and set aside in the insert of a slow cooker.
3. Add the onions and pepper to the pan and cook for a few minutes then add the garlic. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the flour and tomato puree, stirring to combine everything for a few minutes. Gradually add the wine and allow to bubble for 5 minutes then pour the contents of the pan over the chicken in the slow-cooker.
4. Add the oregano, chicken stock cube, sun dried tomatoes, green olives and double cream and cook everything on high for 3 hours or low for 5 hours.
5. After 3/5 hours, stir through the spinach, grated parmesan and basil, cooking on high for a further 30 minutes to allow the spinach to wilt and the cheese to melt.
6. Serve in bowls sprinkled with extra parmesan, basil and garlic sourdough toasts.

1/2 cup (100ml) olive oil

1/4 cup (25g) butter

10 skinless, boneless chicken thighs

1 onion, finely sliced

1 red bell pepper, finely sliced

2 cloves garlic, finely sliced

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 cup dry white wine

1 tsp dried oregano

1 chicken bouillon cube

3.5 oz sun-dried tomatoes, chopped into bite-sized pieces

3.5 oz green olives, pitted and halved

3/4 cup + 1 tbsp heavy cream

2 large handfuls of spinach

3.5 oz Parmesan cheese, finely grated, plus extra to serve

Handful of basil, plus extra to serve

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To Serve:

Garlic sourdough toasts

100ml olive oil

25g butter

10 chicken thighs, skinless and boneless

1 onion, finely sliced

1 red pepper, finely sliced

2 cloves garlic, finely sliced

75g plain flour

2 tbsp tomato puree

250ml dry white wine

1 tsp dried oregano

1 chicken stock cube

100g sun-dried tomatoes, chopped into bite-sized pieces

100g green olives, pitted and halved

200ml double cream