After teaching all day, coming home from work and knowing that dinner will be ready is one of my great joys. This recipe is easy to put together and has a immediate taste pay off.
The night before, I marinated my chicken in the slow cooker coated with the spices and oils. Then when I got home, I removed the chicken from the sauce to cool, thickened the sauce and added mushrooms. While I was doing that I popped some oil-coated and seasoned brussels sprouts to the oven for roasting. When the sprouts were done so was the sauce. How is that for timing!
Slow-Cooker Roast Chicken with Mushroom Sauce
Ingredients:
Chicken
1 fryer chicken about 4 pounds (This fits nicely in my slow cooker)
1 tbs curry powder
1 tbs garlic powder
1 tbs onion powder
1 tbs fresh parsley
1/4 tsp porcini powder (optional)
1 tsp kosher or sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tbs olive oil or coconut oil
6 tbs butter or ghee
1 tsp honey
Sauce:
2 – 3 cups liquid from slow cooker
1/2 cup cream
4 tbs butter
2 cups crimini mushrooms sliced
1 cup button mushrooms
1/2 cup dry sherry
salt to taste
1 tbs butter
Directions:
Chicken
- Rinse a thawed chicken inside and out and pat dry. Place on a cutting board or other washable work surface. Save the delicious giblets for later use; I freeze mine if I’m not going to use them right away.
- In a small bowl, mix the spices, olive oil, and butter into a paste. Rub the mixture on the skin, under the skin, and in the cavity. If you are worried about the chicken falling apart, then secure with the legs and wings of the chicken with butcher’s twine.
- Place the chicken in the slow cooker and cook on low for 7 – 8 hours. The chicken will produce a lot of liquid during cooking.
- Remove the chicken to a platter and cover with foil. Allow to rest for at least 15 minutes.
Sauce
- In a medium sauce pan, place the stock and cream. Reduce the liquid by half, this should take about 10 minutes.
- In a separate pan, over medium heat melt the butter until it starts to bubble.
- Add the mushrooms in batches so not to crowd the pan and steam the mushrooms. First, saute mushrooms until brown and crispy on one side and then saute on the other. When the mushrooms are done remove to a bowl or plate and then saute another the other batch. Continue this process until all the mushrooms are sauteed.
- Deglaze the pan with the port and reduce to about 2 tbs.
- Add in the reduced sauce and then mushrooms and continue cooking for 2 – 3 minutes.
- Spoon the sauce over the chicken and eat.
This recipe will pair well with roasted vegetables, coconut flour cheesy biscuits, and cauliflower rice.