Slow Cooker Chicken With Chicken, Bacon and Tomato

I really like using my slow cooker but have the problem of overcooking chicken in it due to the need to turn it on when I leave for work and being away too long during the day.
I wasn't at work today so was able to reduce the time a bit better and the result was fantastic.

This isn't an exact recipe. I make it either in the slow cooker or in the oven and the ingredients change depending on what I have in the house. In the past I have also added one for more of the following; capsicum, olives, mushrooms, capers...and do it with or without bacon. I always use onion, garlic  and tomato.
If making in the oven the liquid will evaporate. I'd suggest using more stock. The chicken does well starting out covered in the oven but it is ok for some of it to reduce during cooking as long as it does not dry out totally. I'd cook it with the lid off in the oven.

I browned the chicken, bacon, onion and garlic (separately) first in a frying pan. I really think it makes a huge difference to the final product. It's a bit of a pain doing it and seems to defeat the purpose of cooking everything together easily to me, but worth it. Luckily I have a new larger slow cooker ordered that has the ability to brown before the slow cooking process starts...I can't wait!

When using the slow cooker, I often drain the liquid at the end of cooking and thicken it in the microwave then add it back or pour it over after serving.

I served this with a new potato dish - Crispy Sliced Potato Bake.


Slow Cooker Chicken With Chicken and Tomato

All ingredients except liquids, wine and tomato

Chicken pieces with bones in (I used about 8 pieces - wings, drum sticks, breasts)
4-5 slices of bacon chopped into small pieces
1 onion roughly chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic chopped (I really like garlic so use lots...but most recipes would say 1-2 for this amount of chicken)
1 tbsp olive oil (if needed for browning...bacon may produce enough)
1/2 cup of red wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 400g tin of tomatoes in juice
1 bay leaf
6-8 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 sprig of rosemary
salt and pepper

Brown bacon in frying pan, then set aside bacon leaving any residual fat in the pan.
Brown chicken pieces a few at a time, then set aside.
Slowly brown onion and garlic in pan, then set aside.
Use stock to deglaze the pan. Reserve stock and pan juices.

Layer chicken into slow cooker so that the pieces are close together to ensure the liquid (stock, wine and tomatoes) will cover the chicken.
Evenly distribute bacon, onion and garlic over chicken. Add bay leaf and thyme.
Pour over stock mixture, red wine and tinned tomatoes.

Cook on low for about 4 - 5 hours. Check the chicken after about 4 hours to determine if it is cooked through.

When ready to serve, you may wish to carefully pour off the liquid and thicken it, then either return to the slow cooker or pour over the chicken when serving.