I'm Baaccckkk!

Wow - twelve days after my last post I finally am back! Mexico was amazing, and I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of a contest that may have come from the trip to Mexico...you'll have to wait and see. In the interim I wanted to post a recipe that I was able to throw in the slow cooker the day before I left town (thank God for the slow cooker, days spent packing and running errands are perfect for slow cooking!). Straight from the likes of the March 09 Cooking Light issues is a delicious Mediterranean inspired chicken recipe.

Chicken Thighs with Olives and Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

* 12 chicken thighs (about 4 pounds), skinned
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
* 1 teaspoon olive oil
* 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
* 1/4 cup dry white wine
* 3 tablespoons tomato paste
* 2 to 3 teaspoons crushed red pepper
* 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
* 1/4 cup sliced pitted kalamata olives
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley


Preparation

1. Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Place chicken in an electric slow cooker.
2. Add garlic to pan, and sauté 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits; cook 30 seconds. Place wine mixture in cooker. Add tomato paste, crushed red pepper, and tomatoes to cooker.
3. Cover and cook on HIGH 4 hours. Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper, olives, and parsley.


Served alongside some green beans this was a delicious dinner and healthy to boot! Even my boyfriend didn't really notice how healthy it was, that makes it a true winner!