Slow Cooked Chicken with Potatoes and Mushrooms

I can't think of many things that go better with wintertime than slow-cooked meals. The flavors bubble together as the heat sinks deeper and deeper into the tender meat and vegetables. Even better, you get to sit back and enjoy the aromas as they grow stronger and tastier and fill up all the rooms around the food. But it's not just about lazily sitting back while science does all the work for you. It's about the comfort and anticipation that when everything has finished stewing, you will be well fed. Having been on an extremely strict budget for the past year or so, we've learned never to take a good, hearty home-cooked meal for granted. I don't think we'll ever come to regret going through such financially rough times as these. They've taught us how much eating warm, well-rounded meals like these are like receiving warm, comforting hugs from a grandparent or dear friend. Whether they're enjoyed frequently or rarely, they're not to be taken from granted.

  
Prep Time: 10 min. | Cook Time: 4 hrs. | Difficulty: Easy  | Servings: 6-8

What You'll Need:

• Crock-Pot or any standard sized slow cooker
• 1 whole chicken, approx. 6 lbs.
• Three white button mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 1 tbs wild oregano
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 whole clove garlic
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp citrus sea salt (or 1/4 tsp kosher salt, zest of 1/2 lemon, 1/4 tsp sumac)
•  4 med. potatoes, halved
• 4 c. water

Directions:

• Combine spices, minus bay leaves and garlic
• Pour 1/8 c. olive oil in slow cooker
• Place potatoes, cut side down on bottom of slow cooker
• Add chicken
• Pour remaining olive oil over chicken
• Put spice mix over chicken and rub in
• Place whole clove of garlic down side of chicken
• Put crushed garlic on opposite side of chicken
• Add a bay leaf to either side of chicken
• Add 1/2 c. water down one side, be careful to avoid dislodging spices
• Place lid
• Set to High and allow to cook for 2 hours
• Remove lid, add mushrooms
• Replace lid and allow to continue cooking until chicken is fully cooked (approx. 2 hrs.)
• Divide chicken and serve over vegetables.

Notes:

1. For a crispier skin, before serving remove chicken and place on a rimmed cookie sheet under the broiler until skin is nice and brown. Flip and brown other side.
2. Be careful to place all potatoes face-down on the bottom of the slow-cooker. If they get flipped over, they will not soften as well as they would otherwise. No one likes a cooked potato that feels raw.
3. Though this is a very flavorful and delicious meal, the flavors didn't meld quite as automatically as I'm used to. Adding some cayenne pepper or some additional black pepper and salt to taste might be a good choice to fill in the gaps between the buttery and savory flavors.
4. If you have left overs, the flavors in this dish meld and multiply really nicely after a day or two, especially if you keep all the tasty drippings. It becomes even more enjoyable the more time you let it sit.

Thanks for stopping by!

Aloo Pulao or Spicy Rice and Potatoes

I'm hoping that beginning this blog with a flavorful Indian recipe will bring me (and anyone who tries it) good karma. There's something incredibly comforting about the blending of saffron, cloves, cinnamon and curry. I feel enjoying a meal so pleasantly full of them must be a reward for something. Perhaps it's a reward for time, taste and dedication well spent. Whatever it is, it's delicious, so hang on to your hats.


Aloo Pulao

2 1/2 tbs butter
7 strands saffron
1/2 tsp Tumeric
1 whole cumin seed
2 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick, 1 inch long
2 whole green cardamom pods
2 whole cayenne peppers, crushed with seeds
1 3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garam masala (real curry powder, though the yellow stuff should work in a pinch)
3 med. potatoes, med. dice
1/2 yellow onion
1 c. aromatic rice
2 1/2 c. water

Directions:

Melt butter in a 12-inch saute pan.

When it stops foaming, add spices and save one cayenne pepper.

Saute spices until aromatic but not burned.

Add potato, onion and rice to pan.

Saute until everything is golden brown.

Add the second crushed cayenne pepper and hot water.

Bring to a simmer, cover and cook 15 minutes.

Plate, garnish and serve.


Notes:
1. This dish is so full of flavor, it does a good job on its own. But to help round out the flavor, we used a box of Spinach Dahl with Lentils from the pantry. It added a buttery flavor that complimented the spices, but it would have been much better had we made our own instead of using pre-packaged Dahl.
2. We used russets this time, but we found them to be a bit too starchy and lacking in structure. Yukon Golds would be a less-starchy and more flavorful alternative.
3. Also, using a starchier rice will turn the leftover liquid into a sort of thick, spicy sauce, while a less starchy rice will just let the liquid collect into a puddle at the bottom.

That's all for now! Enjoy!