Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs with Creamy Gravy and Vegetables

Yum
Inspired by my friends Dan and Scott of Platter Talk, I decided to make some slow cooker Chicken Thighs with Creamy Gravy and Vegetables. The fact that it is Summer and it is hot is good enough reason to pull out your Slow Cooker, a.k.a. Crock Pot so you are not heating up the house with the oven on.

My way of doing this dish though is that I do like to get the skin brown. So a quick searing for a few minutes in a skillet before transferring everything to the slow cooker is the only extra thing you have to do with regard to cooking the dish in the beginning. I use a blend of butter and regular olive oil because I like the flavor and the fact the olive oil helps with the smoking point of the butter.


To make this easy on yourself, brown the chicken the night before, cool it down properly and refrigerate and pull it out the next morning and toss everything together in the pot, set it to low and let it simmer away while you are at work.
The alternative is buy skinless thighs or cut the skin away yourself and nix the browning process all together.

• 4-6 bone in, skin on chicken thighs
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 can cream of celery soup
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup half and half cream
• 1/2 package frozen baby peas
• 1/2 package frozen pearl onions
• 1 package sliced mushrooms
• 4 large carrots - peeled and sliced on the diagonal in 2 inch lengths
• 1 tsp. fresh minced garlic or jar garlic is fine
• 1 tsp. granulated garlic
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 3/4 tsp. dried thyme

1. Wash your chicken under cold water. Dry thoroughly on paper towels.
2. In a small bowl combine the granulated garlic, onion powder, salt and pepper. Season both sides of the chicken thighs.
3. In a skillet over medium to medium high heat, melt the butter and olive oil. When the butter starts to bubble add in the thighs skin side down. Brown the skin for about 3-4 minutes. Lift out of the pan and set on a waiting plate.
4. Add the soup, the chicken broth and half and half to the crock pot and stir well.
5. Then add in the dried thyme and minced garlic and mix well. Add in the chicken thighs and the carrots and stir.
6. Cover. Set the temperature to low and simmer for 4-8 hours.
7. When you come home, toss in the peas and cook for about 5 minutes more.

Serve over broad egg noodles for a complete meal. My cost for the entire meal: $10.40.