Bust out the Slow Cooker!

Is is one of Mrs. BA and my New Year's Resolutions to be better about menu planning and dinner prep.  To that end I think the slow cooker may be getting a workout during these winter months.  And I need to shop smarter at the grocery store.

Here's a recipe I spotted a few weeks ago in an article (of several crockpot recipes) from the Huffington Post.  We will see if we can get this into the rotation.  On the menu this week, so far - Taco Tuesday and Baked Potato Soup one night, then pizza / movie night on Friday, as usual.

Slow Cooker Garlic Chicken
via Recipe Girl
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 25 min
Cook Time: 4 hr

Ingredients

• 3 to 4 pounds of bone-in chicken pieces (drumsticks, breasts, thighs) 
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 
• 1 medium sweet onion, sliced 
• 8 large garlic cloves, halved 
• several sprigs fresh thyme 
• 1 cup dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc is good) 
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 

Directions

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium- high heat. Cook the chicken, skin-side-down, until the skin turns golden brown (about 4 minutes).
2. Combine the onion, garlic and thyme in a 5 to 6-quart slow cooker and season with salt and pepper. Top with chicken, skin-side-up. In a small bowl, whisk together wine and flour until smooth and pour it over the chicken and into the slow cooker. Cover and cook until the chicken is tender- 3 1/2 hours on HIGH or 7 hours on LOW.
3. Serve chicken topped with sauce. Serve over rice, couscous, polenta or potatoes. 

Tips

• This recipe is gluten-free adaptable- substitute gluten-free flour or tapioca starch for the all-purpose flour.
• A delicious accompaniment to this dish is polenta. Prepare instant polenta as directed, substituting milk for 1/2 of the water and adding in 1 tablespoon of butter and a spoonful or two of cream cheese. 
• If you would prefer to cook this in the oven, brown the chicken in a Dutch oven, then add remaining ingredients plus 1 cup chicken broth. Cover and cook at 350 degrees F. until the chicken is cooked through and tender, about 40 minutes.