Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

This past week my husband asked me if I could make him Chicken Cacciatore so I hit my trusty recipe sites searching for a good recipe. I have never made this dish mainly because I was a bit intimidated by it. I had seen recipes in the past and they seemed so involved and even though I enjoy a challenge in the kitchen this was one I wasn't interested in. First, I typically don't cook Italian because the only the person that eats it in our house is my husband and secondly I hate tomatoes. However, I decided to give in and make this since Mike specifically asked for it. After browsing for what seemed an eternity on the web I came across one for the crock pot and it seemed easy enough so I gave it whirl. I am glad that I did because my husband enjoyed it and it did make my kitchen smell phenomenal. I did tweak this recipe from the original one I found on the blog "Stuff I Make My Husband". I have made the changes below that I took from her recipe. Once cooked I served this with angel hair pasta, mixed green salad and garlic bread. My husband said this was a keeper so if your family enjoys Italian food and you want something that you can set and forget then you should definitely try this recipe! This recipe will serve 4 people. 

INGREDIENTS 
- 2 lbs of skinless chicken thighs (I used bone in. DO NOT use chicken breast for this recipe!)
- 1 bag of frozen onion, peppers and celery mix. (If you can't find that then any onion mix will do)
- 3 Tbs of tomato paste
- 1 Tbs of extra virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced (I used the pre-minced garlic in the jar)
- 1/3 oz of dried mushrooms (I used Porcini and my food processor to grind them up)
- 8 oz of sliced mushrooms (I used pre-sliced Baby Bella)
- 1 can of diced tomatoes (I used the can with green chilis because we love spice)
- 1/2 tsp of dried Italian seasoning
- 1/3 cup of a dry red wine
- 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine the frozen veggie mix, dried mushrooms, garlic, oil, tomato paste and pepper flakes into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 5 minutes.

2. Add the above ingredients along with sliced mushrooms, wine, dried seasoning and diced tomatoes to the slow cooker. Stir to combine all ingredients well.

3. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Nestle the thighs into the sauce.

4. Cook 4-6 hours on Low. I did turn mine up to high halfway through because I didn't start this until later in the day.