Slow Cooker Rustic Italian Chicken

Once fall rolls around, my slow cooker starts making a regular appearance.  It’s such an easy way to make dinner and there are so many cozy, comforting recipes that can be made in the slow cooker, from soups to stews and beyond.  Not to mention, your house smells amazing, all day long.

So I was super excited when the good folks at Red Gold sent me a slow cooker gift pack. They sent me a variety of their great tomato products to try,  as well as some terrific recipes for the slow cooker.  The great news for you is that starting September 17th, Red Gold is going to be giving away 2 slow cookers a day for three whole weeks.  That’s a total of 44 slow cookers!   If you want to get in on the fun, just go to Red Gold’s Facebook page, here, starting September 17th and you’ll be able to enter for your chance to win!

This rustic Italian chicken is one of the recipes that they sent me and it’s definitely a winner.  It was incredibly easy to put together, with minimal chopping or fussing and then you just set it and forget it until dinnertime.  The result was very flavorful and the chicken thighs stayed nice and juicy.  I would just make sure you don’t over cook the dish.  Mine was perfectly done in 6 hours.  The only change I might make to the recipe would be to add more mushrooms, but I’m a big mushroom lover.  You can decide for yourself how many mushrooms you’d like.

If you’re looking for an easy dish your family will love, this one will definitely fit the bill.  And don’t forget to enter to win a new slow cooker!!

Slow Cooker Rustic Italian Chicken

• 2 to 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (I used 3 lbs)
• 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 4 large cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 (14.5) can Red Gold diced tomatoes
• 2 (14.5) cans Red Gold crushed tomatoes
• cooked pasta for serving
• grated parmesan cheese, if desired

Spray your slow cooker with cooking spray.

Place chicken in the bottom of slow cooker in a single layer.

In a large bowl, mix remaining ingredients (except pasta) and then pour over chicken thighs.

Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours (my dish was perfectly cooked after about 6 hours).

Serve over pasta along with parmesan.

ENJOY!