Cacciatore-Style Chicken

I love my crockpot, but sometimes I forget it can be used for so much more than roasts and soups! This is one of my favorite crockpot chicken recipes from Better Homes and Gardens Biggest Book of Slow Cooker Recipes. Serve with pasta.



Cacciatore-Style Chicken
You will need:
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup chopped carrot
2 medium onions, cut into wedges
1 green, yellow, or red sweet pepper, cut into strips
2 cloves garlic, minced
3-1/2 pounds chicken pieces, skinned (drumsticks work especially well)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 Tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 14-1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes
1/3 cup tomato paste
Hot cooked pasta

Directions:
In a 5- to 6- quart slow cooker combine mushrooms, celery, carrot, onions, sweet pepper and garlic. Cover vegetables with the chicken. Add broth, wine, tapioca, bay leaves, oregano, sugar, salt, and black pepper.

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 7 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 to 3-1/2 hours.

Remove chicken and keep warm. Remove bay leaves and discard. If using low-heat setting, turn to high-heat setting. Stir in undrained tomatoes and tomato paste. Cover and cook 15 minutes longer on high-heat setting. To serve, spoon vegetable mixture over chicken and pasta.