Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes in a Crock Pot

Overall rating: ***1/2

Taste: ***

Convenience: ****

Cost: ****

Best is *****; worst is * to no stars.

Continuing my crock pot journey of discovery, last night I tried a chicken thigh recipe that my friend Eleanor sent me. As I usually do, I tinkered here and there with the recipe. Here it is:

I skinned six thighs and seasoned them with salt and pepper. Next I seared the thighs on a medium high heat (about three to four minutes a side. You want a nice caramel color) and put them in the crock pot. I then sauteed a minced garlic clove (about a teaspoon) in about a tablespoon of olive oil, added a quarter cup of wine, boiled for about a minute and dumped into the crock pot.

Next, I added a 15 ounce can of chopped tomatoes. The original recipe called for two to three teaspoons of red pepper flakes, which seemed excessive. I put in about a teaspoon, which was still too much unless you want the dish to have an especially strong bite. I recommend anywhere from a pinch to a quarter teaspoon to a teaspoon, depending on your taste.

I then put on the cover, stuck the crock pot in the fridge and asked my wife to put it in the slow cooker at about 2:30 p.m. and set to high. The recipe said cook for four hours, but I added a half an hour since the pot was going into the cooker cold.

The result was tasty, although not spectacular. The thighs literally fell off the bone. I thought it needed a little salt, but my wife disagreed. The sauce was excellent over rice, if a little soupy. Next time, I would flour the thighs before searing to give the sauce a little more body.

Overall, a good, mid-week, inexpensive, no fuss meal.