This is the same recipe I made in a slow-cooker for a “Healthy New Year’s Eating” segment on Breakfast Television this January. When I splurged on a second-hand Le Creuset Dutch oven, though, I had to remake the recipe for the comparison. I figured the Le Creuset baked version would be a little more caramelized from the meal browning against the hot casserole dish, but I was also surprised that not much liquid evaporated, as it had when I made two versions of an Alsatian braised meat dish – one with the traditional airtight dough seal for the lid and one without.
Was this dish delicious? Yes. Was it greatly improved by using the Le Creuset instead of the slow-cooker? Not immensely, but a little. I think the main difference is in the sexiness of putting a hot casserole dish on the table instead of pulling the insert out of the slow-cooker and doing the same. Most people probably don’t call that sexy. Most people probably don’t care. Most people probably also have worse post-meal sex, too.
It’s your call.
Same recipe, just with an extra cup of chicken stock.
Slow-cooker chicken with fennel, white wine and black olives
2 tsp oil
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 sliced bulb fennel, core removed
2 stems celery, chopped
1 cup sliced zucchini
1/2 cup white wine
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
3 tbsp chopped black olives
2 tbsp fresh parsley or cilantro
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven (Le Creuset in my case) or skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken for 1-2 minutes on each side, just to give it some colour. You’ll have to work in batches to do this, but you shouldn’t need to add more oil.
2. Remove the chicken from the pot or skillet and add the fennel, zucchini and celery. Stir-fry for 1 minute, then return the chicken to the pot and pour over the white wine. Stir and add the chicken broth and olives.
3. Bring to a boil, put on the lid and transfer the pot or skillet to the oven (or if using a skillet that can’t go into the oven, transfer everything to an oven-proof casserole dish that has a lid). Cook for 40 minutes.
4. Bring the casserole dish to the table (sexier, see above) and top with the parsley and green onions. Stir to combine and serve while still hot with rice or potatoes.
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