New Recipe #2 Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore

It's week #2 of the year, and here is new recipe #2! So far my New Years resolutions are still going strong, but maybe that’s because I set realistic ones this year. J One new recipe a week is really not that hard, and my McCheyne Bible reading schedule has been a huge blessing! Now, my exercise program? That resolution is not so hot at the moment. I need to step it up a bit if I’m going to be flexible during labor/delivery. And yes, movement and flexibility are very important for that day of my life! But don’t get me started on natural labor, or we could be here a while.

Today my recipe was Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore. I LOVE using my crock pot! To me there’s nothing like that “multi-tasking” feeling of supper cooking while you do other stuff. I should cook in the crock pot every day… I really should! It’s just that great.

I found the recipe on pinterest (favorite site ever), and it’s from food.com. All you need is 3 lbs chicken, cut up in pieces, 1 large onion thinly sliced, 12 oz of tomato paste, 6 oz sliced mushrooms, 1 chopped green bell pepper, 2-4 cloves minced garlic, 2 teaspoons oregano, 1 teaspoon dried basil, ½ teaspoon celery powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes.

So, I’m a cook… not a baker, as my husband constantly reminds me. See, HE is a baker, not a cook. The difference? He follows recipes EXACTLY, I guesstimate and substitute. He isn’t allowed in the kitchen when I’m cooking, or it drives him nuts to see me “slaughter” the recipe. I just have to remind him that he loves my cooking, so why should he complain about my methods? With the above ingredients, I substituted like crazy. For instance, I didn’t have basil or oregano on hand today, but I did have an Italian Dressing Base that was heavy on those two ingredients, so I chucked that in instead. It turned out just fine. J I also didn’t have celery powder, but I did have celery salt (or some such thing) on hand, so I used that. I don’t think I measured a single one of the spices, I just dashed them in until it looked and smelled about right. J That’s me in the kitchen, and it turned out great… so don’t worry about the exact stuff with this recipe. Just have fun and make it taste yummy!

Directions:

Place onions in bottom of crock pot. Add chicken pieces. Stir all the other ingredients together. Pour over chicken. Cook on low heat 7 to 9 hours or high heat for about 3 to 4 hours. Serve over pasta or rice (and enjoy how wonderful your home smells all afternoon!).