Chicken Vesuvio

By KRed

A rich chicken dinner from the crock pot. More work than normal in the morning, and a bit more at the end, but worth it.

Ingredients

• 6 (12-oz.) bone-in, skin-on split chicken breasts, trimmed
• 3 Tbsp. extra-virtin olive oil, divided
• 2 onions, minced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced and mashed to a paste, divided
• 1 tsp. minced fresh oregano, or 1 tsp. dried
• 1/4 tsp. rep pepper flakes
• 3 Tbsp. flour
• 1/2 c. dry white wine
• 1 1/2 lb. red potatoes (4-5 medium), scrubbed and cut into 1-in. chunks
• 1 c. chicken broth
• 1 fresh rosemary sprig
• 1 c. frozen peas
• 1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest plus 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Preparation

Step 1

Dry Chicken with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add half of chicken, skin side down, and brown lightly, about 5 minutes; transfer to plate. Repeat with 1 Tbsp more oil and remaining chicken; transfer to plate. Let chicken cool slightly and discard skin.

Add onions, half of garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes to fat left in pan and cook over medium-high heat until onions are softened and lightly browned, 8-10 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in wine, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps; transfer to slow cooker.

Microwave potatoes with remaining 1 Tbsp oil in covered bowl, stirring occasionally, until nearly tender, about 5 minutes; transfer to slow cooker. Stir broth into slow cooker. Nestle browned chicken with any accumulated juice into slow cooker. Cover and cook until chicken is tender, 4 to 6 hours on low.

Add rosemary sprig, cover, and cook on high until rosemary is fragrant, about 15 minutes. Transfer chicken and potatoes to serving platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil.

Let braising liquid settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface using large spoon. discard rosemary. Stir in peas and let sit until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining garlic; lemon zest and lemon juice, and season with slat and pepper to taste. Spoon 1 cup sauce over chicken and serve with remaining sauce.

My notes: I'm noting the changes I did. Everything worked and tasted great unless specified otherwise. I used boneless, skinless chicken, only had 3 half breasts, and forgot to dry with paper towels. Seasoned with salt and pepper, maybe don't need the salt. Used cast iron pan and only did one batch of browning chicken; browned chicken on both sides. Onions: I left bigger than diced. Used oregano powder. I didn't have a whisker so used spoon. When I poured in wine, the liquid evaporated quickly and left what was left very thick. This was fine. I was confused why to microwave potatoes but did it anyway. Not sure if this was necessary. Used 1/2 bullion cube in 1 c. water for the broth. Next time I might try canned broth. Either. I'm not sure about the rosemary purpose. Didn't seem to matter. I didn't have any fat on top of the liquid to spoon off. I used a half lemon for the zest and juice which was more than recipe called for. I think a bit too lemony. I didn't add the other half of garlic, and didn't add any more salt/pepper.