Cooktop Cove: How to make slow cooker chicken with bacon, mushrooms, and pearl onions
By Kate Elliott
Do you love using your slow cooker? Do you get excited when you know there's a complete home-cooked meal waiting for you at the end of the day, and one that required very little effort on your part? Do you also wish you could get more than soups and stews out of your slow cooker? If so, I hear you, and the recipe below will give you everything you want, no bowl required.
This dish includes chicken, bacon, mushrooms and onions—and even a sauce—and can all be plated as is, straight from the cooker. It's filling, it's comforting and, unlike many slow cooker meals, doesn't fall apart when you take it out. It does require a few minutes of prep at the beginning, but only so you get that full-bodied sauce in return.
Slow Cooker Chicken with Bacon, Mushrooms and Onions
4
10 minutes
7 hours, 20 minutes
7 hours, 30 minutes
1/2 pound bacon, cut into a medium dice1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
1/2 pound mushrooms (I used cremini, but you can use whatever you like)
1 cup frozen white pearl onions, thawed
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
Salt, to taste
1/2 cup chicken stock
Add the bacon to a large skillet and fry over medium heat until brown and crisp, about 10 minutes.
Place the flour in a large bowl along with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black black pepper. Stir to combine and, one by one, dredge the chicken thighs in the flour. Shake off excess flour and arrange the chicken in a 6-quart slow cooker.
Add the mushrooms, onions, garlic, and thyme to the slow cooker along with a pinch of salt. Stir to combine.
When the bacon is browned and crisp, transfer it from the skillet to the slow cooker using a slotted spoon.
Add the chicken stock to the hot skillet and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to lift up the brown bits. Pour this into the slow cooker over the chicken and vegetables.
Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook for 7 hours on low.