Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore with Peppers and Olives

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A true dump-and-go Italian braise: bone-in chicken thighs go into the crockpot raw with crushed tomatoes, sweet peppers, onion and olives, and come out falling off the bone in a glossy oregano-scented sauce. No browning, no babysitting — just spoon it over polenta, pasta or crusty bread.

Ingredients

• 3 lb bone-in skinless chicken thighs (about 8)
• 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 bell peppers (1 red, 1 yellow), cut into 1-inch strips
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Put the onion, bell peppers and garlic in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker, then nestle the raw chicken thighs on top in a single snug layer.
2. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, olives, salt and pepper straight over the chicken. Stir the top layer just enough to spread the tomato paste around — no need to mix all the way down, and no browning of any kind.
3. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours or on HIGH for 3 1/2 hours, without lifting the lid, until the chicken is very tender and pulls easily from the bone (internal temperature 185–195°F for meltingly soft thighs).
4. Lift the chicken onto a plate. Stir the sauce well; if it looks thinner than you'd like, set the cooker to HIGH and leave the lid slightly ajar for 15 to 20 minutes to reduce. Taste and add salt if needed.
5. Return the chicken to the sauce (or pull the meat off the bones in big pieces and stir it in) and let it warm through for 5 minutes. Spoon over polenta, pasta or crusty bread.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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