Slow -Cooker Chicken with White Wine, Tarragon, and Cream

What busy mama doesn’t love a delicious slow-cooker recipe? I have made quite a few in the last several years. Mostly, I am disappointed. This recipe from Cook’s Illustrated cook book, The Best Slow & Easy Recipes did not disappoint. In fact, it far surpassed my expectations.  I hope you will try it and your family will enjoy it as much as we did. If you do, be sure to let me know how it turned out.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 lbs frozen artichoke hearts, thawed

2 medium onions, minced

4 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press

2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 teaspoon dried

   Salt

1 3/4 cups dry white wine

1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 lbs carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch peices

3 tables spoons Minute tapioca

2 table spoons soy sauce

2 bay leaves

4 pounds bone-in chicken pieces, skin removed and trimmed

   Ground black pepper

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup minced fresh tarragon

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1.     Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add the artichokes, onions, garlic, thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, cover, and cook, stirring often, 8 – 10 minutes.

2.     Uncover the skillet and continue to cook until the artichokes and onions are lightly browned, 8 – 10 minutes.  Stir in the wine, scraping up any browned bits, and simmer until thickened and measures about 3 cups, about 5 minutes.

3.     Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker and stir in the broth, carrots, tapioca, soy sauce, and bay leaves until evenly combined.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper and nestle it in the slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low until the chicken is tender, 4 to 5 hours.

4.     Transfer the chicken and carrots to a serving platter and tent loosely with foil.  Let the cooking liquid settle for 5 minutes, then gently tilt the slow cooker and remove as much fat as possible from the surface using a large spoon.  Remove the bay leaves, stir in the cream, tarragon, lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Spoon 1 cup of the sauce over the chicken and serve, passing the remaining sauce separately.

Variation

Substitute 1 1/4 lbs cremini mushrooms, trimmed, wiped clean, and halved if small or quartered if large for the artichokes in step one.  If cremini mushrooms are unavailable, substitute portobello mushroom caps, cut into 1-inch pieces.