Today, I present another winner from Slow Cooker Revolution. I love that the cooking geeks at America’s Test Kitchen are super OCD about testing and retesting their recipes so I don’t have to tweak them too much at home.
They list some great, eye-opening tips for cooking chicken in the slow cooker:
- Cook chicken ONLY 4-6 hours on LOW.
- Choose meaty thighs for flavor.
- Trim the fat and remove skin so your braising liquid doesn’t become an oil slick.
- Position a whole chicken breast side down (and cook a whole chicken on LOW for ONLY 4-6 hours).
- Brown only when necessary for flavor.
Unfortunately, a TON of the recipes in the book are totally grain or legume heavy. For example, all recipes that use ground beef incorporate a panade, bread mixed with milk, to help keep the meat moist.
The chicken cacciatore recipe, similar to the one for Korean short ribs, is pretty simple and the results were yummy. The only Paleo substitution I made was to omit the tapioca so the resulting sauce is a little thin. This dish reheats beautifully and I know ‘cause I cooked it in the slow cooker a couple days ago and served it tonight for dinner.
Time to make Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore!
Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 2 onions, minced in my food processor
- ¼ cup tomato paste (I like the stuff that comes in a tube)
- 2 tablespoons ghee, butter, olive oil, avocado oil, or fat of choice
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- ½ ounce dried mixed wild mushrooms, rinsed and minced (use all dried porcini mushrooms if you have it)
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1.5 pounds cremini mushrooms, trimmed and halved if small or quartered if large
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
- ½ cup organic chicken broth
- ½ cup dry red wine
- 3 pounds of boneless and skinless chicken thighs (the original recipe called for 12 skinless, bone-on thighs)
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ chopped fresh basil
Equipment:
- All of my recommended kitchen tools are listed here.
Method:
I dumped the onions, tomato paste, butter (you can use another fat if you don’t do dairy), garlic, oregano, wild mushrooms, and red pepper flakes in a microwave safe bowl…
…and nuked everything on high for ~5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions were softened.
I put the cooked aromatics in the slow cooker and stirred in the cremini, tomatoes, broth, and wine. 
I seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper and nestled them into the slow cooker and mixed everything.
Then, I put on the lid and cooked the dish for 4-6 hours on low.
When the dish was finished, I transferred everything to a Corningware container and stored it in the fridge.
When I was ready to reheat the chicken cacciatore, I removed all the hardened fat on top, and dumped the contents in a medium sized pot. I reheated it over medium-high until it reached a boil and then I lowered the heat to simmer the stew for around 10-15 minutes. Before I served it, I topped the dish with some basil chiffonade.
I used to hate making chicken in a slow cooker but now I know it’s because I always overcooked it. See? You do learn something new everyday.
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients
- 2 onions minced in your food processor
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons ghee or fat of choice
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- ½ ounce dried mixed wild mushrooms rinsed and minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1½ pounds cremini mushrooms trimmed and halved
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes drained
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ½ cup dry red wine
- 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ¼ cup fresh basil chopped
Instructions
- Dump the onions, tomato paste, butter (you can use another fat if you don’t do dairy), garlic, oregano, wild mushrooms, and red pepper flakes in a microwave safe bowl. Nuke everything on high for ~5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened.
- Put on the lid and cook the dish for 4-6 hours on low.
- When the dish is finished, transfer everything to a Corningware container and serve, or store it in the fridge.
- When you're ready to reheat the chicken cacciatore, remove all the hardened fat on top, and dump the contents in a medium sized pot. Reheat it over medium-high heat until it reaches a boil and then lower the heat to simmer the stew for around 10-15 minutes. Before you serve it, top the dish with some basil chiffonade.
Notes
- Cook chicken ONLY 4-6 hours on LOW.
- Choose meaty thighs for flavor.
- Trim the fat and remove skin so your braising liquid doesn’t become an oil slick.
- Position a whole chicken breast side down (and cook a whole chicken on LOW for ONLY 4-6 hours).
- Brown only when necessary for flavor.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
