Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

Winter returned to our corner of the Midwest with a cold blast this week.  Here's a chicken cacciatore recipe to warm you up on chilly nights.

This dish is an Emeril Lagasse recipe that I have slightly modified.  It is not hard to prepare, but does require some time on the front end.  Once it is in the crock pot, though, you are home free.  Lagasse recommends serving this over pasta, but we most often serve it over brown rice at our house.

The recipe calls for bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs.  To save calories, you can substitute chicken breasts or use skinless thighs.  The flavor, however, will not be as rich.  I have tried both, and always come back to bone-in, skin-on thighs.  I do trim off excess skin and fat before cooking.

Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore

Adapted from Emeril Lagasse

8 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin on

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 1/2 teaspoons Emeril’s Original Essence (recipe follows)

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large yellow onions, sliced

1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2-3 tablespoons minced garlic (can slice or chop for larger chunks if desired)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 large or 2 medium bay leaves

1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, cored and rough chopped, with juices

1/2 cup dry white wine (can omit)

1/4 cup tomato paste

seasoned and ready for dredging

Trim excess skin and fat from chicken thighs.  Season both sides with salt and pepper and Essence blend.  Pat gently to make sure seasonings adhere.  Dredge chicken lightly in 1/4 cup flour.

Heat olive oil in large nonstick skillet.  Brown the chicken thighs until golden on both sides.  Transfer chicken to crock pot.

In same skillet, add onions.  Cook until softened and lightly carmelized.  Add red pepper flakes, garlic, oregano, rosemary, basil, bay leaves and 2 tablespoons flour.  Cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes.

sauce ready to go in crock pot

Add tomatoes, wine, tomato paste and stir to combine and heat through.  Pour tomato mixture over chicken in crock pot.  Cook on low for 6 hours or so, until chicken is cooked through and bones easily pull out.

Remove bones, skin, and cartilage.   Pull meat apart into chunks.  Serve over rice or pasta.

Recipe for Emeril Lagasse Essence

5 parts paprika

4 parts salt

2 parts: garlic powder

ground black pepper

onion powder

cayenne pepper

dried oregano

dried thyme

Printable recipe

A Trout in the Pot

There is an Irish saying, a trout in the pot is better than a salmon in the sea.  Last night, I had a large trout fillet wrapped in butcher paper and a fast-dropping temperature outside going down into the 20s.  Brrr!  Not a good night to grill.  I found a super easy recipe from the Food Network that I could cook under the broiler.  Herbed Trout Fillets by Emeril Lagasse. Paired it with a simple salad and the last of the garden tomatoes.  Oh my goodness!  So fast, so tasty!


I decided to use this recipe about 10 minutes before I started preparing it, and wasn't going back to the grocery, so I had to improvise a little.  I already had the Essence mixed up because I keep it on hand for chicken cacciatore.  I had some fresh parsley still alive outside, huddled against the garage.  I didn't have any fresh oregano, so I used about 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano. I didn't have any chives either, so I just left those out.  I don't know if it was because my trout was thicker than Emeril's, or if it was my broiler, but I had to cook my trout about 10 minutes.  Still turned out fabulous. My husband loved it, too.

Herbed Trout Fillets  

Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Essence, recipe follows
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley leaves
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped oregano leaves
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 (6 to 8-ounce) sea trout fillets, with skin
• Lemon wedges, as accompaniment

Directions

Preheat broiler, or grill.

In a medium mixing bowl combine lemon juice, Essence, garlic, parsley, chives and oregano. Slowly whisk in olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Arrange fillets skin sides down in an oiled shallow baking dish. Brush fish with vinaigrette.

Broil 5 to 6 inches from heat until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 2/3 cup