I love one-pot dinners: less clean up, and all those flavors slowly mingling together. And the best one-pot dinner of all is made in a crock pot. There’s nothing like coming home after a long day, and not only just having dinner ready for you, but the smell knocking you out the minute you walk in the door. It must be what it felt like to be a husband in the 1950s. Now you’ll just have to find someone to bring your slippers and a martini.
Crock pot dinners are very nostalgic for me. My mom went back to college when we were kids in the 1970s, and she often started a dinner in that avocado green bowl in the morning. Our favorite was a bean meal that tasted like meat because Hickory Smoke flavoring was one of the ingredients.
My mom gave me a crock pot for Christmas a couple of years ago, and I’ve been using it a lot since. I wish I had her old one, but it either broke or was tossed years ago. The new one works just as well, even if it isn’t as kitchy or nostalgic.
This is one of my favorite new crock pot recipes. It’s from Prevention magazine, with just a few alterations. They have a lot of good recipes that are low in calories. This recipe satisfies all my criteria of being easy, healthy, economical, and- most importantly- delicious. The combination of spices is magical. It makes six servings, so my husband and I eat it three times and never get sick of it. Oh, and it’s not exactly fast, because it cooks all day, but it is very quick to prepare in the morning- literally only about 10 minutes. Not cookbook 10 minutes, but reality 10 minutes. So without further ado, I bring you…
ITALIAN HUNTER-STYLE CHICKEN
1 jar (26 oz) marinara sauce
8 oz shitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced 1/2″ thick (any mushrooms work)
2 large carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise, sliced 1/4″ thick
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 Tbsp chpped fresh thyme leaves or 1/3 tsp dried
1/4 tsp fennel seed
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
6 chicken thighs (about 2 lb)
2 small yellow summer squash, sliced into 3/4″ rounds
for garnish: thin strips basil, thyme sprigs
1. In 4-quart or larger slow cooker, combine sauce, mushrooms, carrots, wine, theyme, fennel, and pepper. Add chicken and toss to coat. Place squash on top.
2. Cover and cook on low 7 to 9 hours or until chicken and vegetables are tender (I’ve had good luck with 2-3 hours on high and 2-3 hours on low). Serve with sauce, and garnish with basil and thyme.
Enjoy!
330 calories per serving.
It’s delicious over brown rice, which I unfortunately usually find barely edible. And I confess I’ve never even tried the fresh spice garnish, so it’s not at all necessary, but probably delicious.
Please share your crock pot memories, or favorite one-pot recipes in the Comments section.
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