Slow-Cooker Garlic Chicken

As many of you know I love my slow-cooker. I literally use it at least once  a week. It wasn't always that way though. Growing-up I don't remember if my mother even owned a crock-pot. If she did I don't remember it being used. At all. I do remember the very scary old pressure cooker that she used at least once a week. The pressure gauge was the scariest thing and my mom made it worse by scaring me to death if I ever went near it. I was determined that it was going to fly off and attack me. I'm surprised that I don't still have nightmares about that kitchen tool. Luckily last year my mother-in-law was nice enough to give me a brand new pressure cooker/canner. My mother-in-law much like my mother loves her pressure cooker. She is always calling me and telling me about the meals she is making with it. One of my favorite dishes that she makes is a pork and chicken pasta sauce that is absolutely delicious. The meat literally falls off the bone. So last summer I learned to use the pressure canner and cooker and realized that it won't actually try to kill me in my kitchen. I still prefer my slow-cooker though and use it throughout the year. Last week I tried a new recipe for Slow-Cooker Garlic Chicken from Everyday Food Magazine, which looked simple and flavorful.

This recipe has 11 ingredients. It takes a total of 7 1/2 hours (on low), 25 minutes of which is active and makes 4 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store. Instead of a whole chicken I chose to use half thighs and half drumsticks. I really hate cutting-up whole chickens and avoid it when possible. Since I don't eat gluten I substituted brown rice flour for the all-purpose flour used in the recipe. My chicken took a lot longer than the four minutes per side to brown suggested by the recipe. I would estimate it took a total of 15 minutes. At the end of the browning time I de-glazed the pan with the white wine, which helped to scrape up the leftover brown bits adding to the flavor of the dish. Finally, instead of serving the chicken over couscous I served it over brown rice. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

My husband and two boys really loved this recipe. The chicken turned out very tender and the garlic was delicious. I ended up adding cornstarch to finish thickening the sauce, which worked well poured over the rice. I always cook on low in my slow-cooker since it's easier to start a dish in the morning when my house is calmer. A very easy slow-cooker recipe that made enough for multiple meals.

For the recipe go to Slow-Cooker Garlic Chicken.