Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore

I didn’t grow a full vegetable garden this year, but I did plant some bell peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers in containers. Since I’m just beginning to get peppers off of that plant I decided to make something new with them. Don’t get me wrong. I’ll be making stuffed peppers, spaghetti sauce, pepper jam and all the other bell pepper favorites, but I decided for this go around  to make homemade crock pot chicken cacciatore.
This homemade versions was so easy and super delicious. After all the chopping was done, assembly was easy. It literally took minutes to throw together. The best part is when it was done everyone thought I’d slaved over the stove for hours. I LOVE when that happens! 😉


Here is how I did it:
Ingredients

• 3 lbs of skinless chicken (I used a mix of thights, breasts and legs)
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
• 2 cups of sliced mushrooms
• 4 garlic cloves, grated
• 1/2 cup of dry white wine (or chicken stock)
• 2 – 6 ounce cans of tomato paste
• 15 ounce can of Italian style stewed tomatoes
• 3 Tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 teaspoons of oregano
• 1 teaspoon of dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon of celery powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
• 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

1. Place onions and peppers in bottom of 6 quart crock pot.
2. Add chicken.
3. Pour the can of stewed tomatoes evenly over top of chicken.
4. Stir together tomato paste, olive oil, spices/ seasonings and wine together. Pour into crock pot.
5. Add garlic and mushrooms to top.
6. Cover and cook on low for 7 – 8 hours or on high for 3 – 4 hours.
7. Remove chicken pieces carefully to plate or cutting board. Remove all bones. Shred with two forks into chunks. Return to crock pot and stir to incorporate.
8. Serve over pasta or rice.