Slow Cooker Chicken Provençal for Two
Happy, dazed and “in a fog” is how I felt when I brought my first newborn, Lily, home from
the hospital. I was pretty much useless in any other capacity than as a new mum and despite an enormous appetite I had little enthusiasm for cooking.
Our recipe focus for April is on homemade dishes for two, to gift at a time when they may be most welcome. Having spent weeks preparing and surrounding ourselves with “baby stuff,” it was surprising to find in those early weeks of parenthood that a newborn required little other than us, our warm home and sustenance. I gladly accepted any opportunity for someone else to cook so that I could concentrate on Lily.
For a long while after, as our friends entered the same life – stage and became new parents, the gift that gave me the greatest satisfaction from giving was always the gift of food. For friends Sam and Phil, I delivered a basket of freshly made scones, butter, jam and clotted cream with English tea, so that they might enjoy a treat together. They passed on a similar gift of food to their friends of venison pie and cheesecake. They hand delivered it to the door in a basket, rang the doorbell and left it as a surprise. For Jules I brought fresh mackerel and beetroot salad which I prepared in her kitchen and enjoyed with her while she held on tightly to her newborn, Lizzie.
With these experiences in mind, we are launching a new category to our blog “cooking for 2.” We are often asked by empty nesters and couples how to optimize the slow cooking experience and we hope to answer the frequently asked questions around the size of slow cooker to buy, scaling down recipes and adapting cooking times. At the end of the month all the tips and suggestions will be available as a downloadable ebook and via the blog pages.
We begin with slow cooked Chicken Provençal for 2, a simple and healthy meal with great Mediterranean flavors. We hope you may be inspired to make it for yourselves, or as a gift to someone in need – a random act of kindness.
- 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup / 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 tsp garlic, 4 cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp fresh oregano, minced or 1/2 tsp dried
- 1 x 14oz can crushed tomatoes
- 3 tbsp dry white wine
- 2 tbsp chopped niçoise olives
- 2 tbsp parsley, minced
- season the chicken with the salt and pepper and set aside
- lightly spray the slow cooker with spray
- microwave onion, garlic, oil, tomato paste & oregano in a small bowl for 2 minutes until softened
- add the onion mixture to the slow cooker and stir in the tomatoes, white wine
- nestle the chicken thighs in the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 5-6 hrs or HIGH for 3
- stir in the olives and parsley before serving
“A person cooking is a person giving. Even the simplest food is a gift”
-Laurie Colwin
