Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken with Silver Beet

I'm still experimenting with slow cooker recipes and this one looked intriguing - especially the anchovy, onion starter for the sauce.

I used a really good quality balsamic which is very sweet. The end result was a really rich sauce that the chicken was cooked in.

When using my slow cooker for a meal I try to include other vegetables as part of the cooking to save having to prepare additional vegetables to go with the meal. I put chopped potatoes in to cook with the chicken and they came out really nicely flavoured.

The recipe came from a web site called An Apple A Day

Balsamic-Braised Chicken with Swiss Chard

from America's Test Kichen Slow Cooker Revolution

*slight adaptations noted in parenthesis 

Ingredients:

1 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, minced

5 tsp. minced fresh thyme or 1 1/2 tsp. dried

1 TBSP tomato paste

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 anchovy fillet, rinsed and minced (I used 1 1/2 tsp. anchovy paste)

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

3 TBSP all-purpose flour

1/2 c. balsamic vinegar

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained

1/2 c. low-sodium chicken broth

1/4 c. dry red wine

2 bay leaves

12 (6 oz.) bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed, trimmed (I used 8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts)

6 oz. Swiss chard, stems removed and leaves sliced 1/2 in. thick

Directions:

1.  Heat oil in 12-in. skillet (or super sweet slow cooker!) over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add onion, thyme, tomato paste, garlic, anchovy, and red pepper flakes and cook until onion is softened and slightly brown, 8-10 minutes.  Stir in flour and cook 1 minute more.

2.  Slowly whisk in vinegar, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps.  Cook until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes.  Transfer to slow cooker.

3.  Stir tomatoes, broth, wine, and bay leaves into slow cooker.  

4.  Season chicken with salt and pepper and nestle into slow cooker.  Cover and cook until chicken is tender, 4-6 hours, on low.

5.  Gently stir in chard, cover, and cook on high until tender, 20-30 minutes.  

6.  Transfer chicken to platter and tent loosely with foil.  Let braising liquid settle 5 minutes, then skim fat from surface using large spoon.  Discard bay leaves.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with sauce spooned over each chicken piece.    Serves 6-8.  (I served it with basic polenta as recommended in the cookbook.)