The Great American Slow Cooker Book (62 page)

1
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, tilting to coat the hot surface. Work with as many chicken thighs as will fit without crowding. Set them skin side down in the skillet and cook on one side only until deeply browned, between 4 and 6 minutes. Transfer to the slow cooker and continue browning more. If browning in batches, divide the butter among the batches.

2
Add the parsnips, figs, orange zest, caraway seeds, allspice, salt, and pepper to the slow cooker. Stir well, then drizzle the wine over everything.

3
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or until the chicken and parsnips are wonderfully tender.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
Look for firm dried figs that are nonetheless plump with lots of juice.

•
Substitute peeled turnips or rutabaga for the parsnips, although the final dish won’t be as aromatic as the original.

1
Fry the bacon slices in a large skillet set over medium heat, turning when brown and crisp, 5 to 6 minutes in all. Transfer the bacon slices to a plate, leaving the fat in the pan.

2
Add the shallots to the skillet, still set over medium heat. Brown the shallots in the bacon fat, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the shallots to the slow cooker.

3
Set several of the chicken thighs skin side down in the bacon fat–filled skillet. Brown well on one side, letting the thighs rest for 5 to 6 minutes before popping them off the hot surface. Transfer them to the slow cooker and then continue browning until all thighs are finished. Crumble the crisp bacon into the cooker as well.

4
Add the red peppers, olives, vinegar, and pepper. Toss well, then tuck the thyme sprigs among the vegetables. Drizzle the vermouth over everything.

5
Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6 hours, or until the chicken thighs are gloriously tender at the bone. Discard the thyme sprigs before serving.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
This is a fairly sweet dish, thanks to the sweet vermouth. However, the olives and bacon hold off that sweetness nicely, letting the delicious chicken flavor come through.

•
If possible, avoid rather tasteless canned olives. Look for better choices on your supermarket’s salad bar or at the olive bar. Avoid stuffed olives or those coated with herbs or spices.

INGREDIENTS EXPLAINED
Red vermouth is sometimes called
sweet vermouth
or
Italian vermouth
, and sometimes labeled simply
rosso
. It’s mildly sweet, even a tad bitter, and shockingly red. Although we prefer it in cocktails rather than cooking, it can be balanced with red wine vinegar and aromatics to make a sweet, sophisticated sauce.

1
Warm a large skillet set over medium heat, then swirl in the olive oil. Add the chicken thighs skin side down, as many as will fit in the pan without crowding. Brown well on one side, until the skin is dark brown, between 4 and 6 minutes. Transfer the thighs, and continue browning in batches.

2
Stir the olives, prunes, vinegar, brown sugar, oregano, garlic, and capers into the slow cooker. Tuck the bay leaves among the ingredients. Pour the wine over everything.

3
Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6 hours, or until the meat is tender enough to pull away from the bone. Discard the bay leaf or leaves before serving.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
This is our slow cooker homage to the famed chicken Marbella, a staple from the
Silver Palate Cookbook
.

•
You can use chicken with the skin on in the slow cooker, but you have to brown that skin very well to crisp it, give it good color (nobody wants a horrid-looking dinner), and render some of the fat.

•
Use high-quality green olives, preferably fat ones off of the supermarket’s salad or olive bar.

Serve It Up!
To add a thickener in the bowl, grind plain dry breadcrumbs with toasted sliced almonds and a pinch of cinnamon in a large food processor fitted with the chopping blade. Ladle the stew over a couple of tablespoons of this mixture in the bowls.

1
Mix the tomato paste, honey, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, chili powder, cloves, and salt in the slow cooker. Add the chicken drumsticks and toss to coat well.

2
Cover and cook on high for 3½ hours or on low for 6 hours, or until the meat is quite tender, particularly at the thick end of the drumsticks with the cartilage.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
Although there’s not much required to make these kid-friendly, sweet and spicy drumsticks, we felt we had to up the effort level to
a little
since you’ll need to skin those legs.

•
If you wish, use only standard chili powder, rather than our chili-clove mixture, for a slightly muskier, milder flavor.

ALL-AMERICAN KNOW-HOW
To skin chicken legs, pick up a paper towel and grasp the small end of the leg with it. With a second paper towel in your other hand, peel the skin off from the large end down to the small end, and yank off and discard.

Serve It Up!
Make an easy
Quinoa Pilaf
by mixing shredded carrot, finely diced zucchini, and some melted butter into a saucepan of still-warm cooked white quinoa. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes to blend the flavors.

1
Stir the chili sauce, raspberry jam, vinegar, molasses, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, chipotle, and cumin in the slow cooker. Set the drumsticks in the sauce and turn to coat on all sides.

2
Cover and cook on high for 3½ hours or on low for 6 hours, or until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened a bit.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
This chipotle-laced mixture eventually becomes a thick, spicy, but sweet glaze for chicken legs.