A slow cooker Sunday

As I’ve surely mentioned before, I often use my slow cooker for Sunday’s lunch. I have a sort of “rotation” of crockpot meals which we really like, but I’m always looking for new ones. This recipe, which I tried for the first time today, became an instant favorite.

CREAMY COUNTRY CHICKEN AND VEGETABLES

2 1/2 lbs. (or more) bone-in chicken breasts or thighs*
4 medium potatoes, skin left on, cut in 1-inch cubes
1/2 lb. baby carrots
3/4 cup coarsely chopped onion
2 pkg. chicken gravy mix**
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning or sage
1 tsp. seasoned salt◊
1 cup light sour cream

In a large slow cooker, place potatoes, carrots and onion. Top with chicken. In a small bowl, stir together the gravy mixes, water, thyme, and seasonings. Pour this mixture over the chicken and vegetables. Cover and cook 7 hours on low or until chicken is cooked and vegetables are tender. Remove chicken and vegetables to serving dishes; cover and keep warm. Whisk sour cream into liquid remaining in slow cooker. You can either pour this gravy over the chicken & vegetables in the serving dishes OR pour it into a pitcher and serve it alongside. Yield: 6 servings.

* The original recipe called for thighs. I used breasts and the result was absolutely wonderful.

** I only had one packet of gravy mix on hand (I decided to make this on the spur of the moment), so, after consulting my MAKE YOUR OWN GROCERIES book I adapted a recipe and came up with the following substitute: In a snack-size ziplock bag, place 2 Tblsp. cornstarch, 1 Tblsp. instant chicken bouillon granules, and a generous dash of pepper. Seal the bag and squish it around to mix the contents well. Use in place of 1 pkg. chicken gravy mix.

◊ I used 1/2 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning salt and 1/2 tsp. celery salt.

This was such a comforting, satisfying meal for a dreary rainy day. Hope others enjoy it as much as we did!

For Monday's supper, I'm turning the leftovers of this meal into a soup. I've cut the meat off the bones and added that, cut the carrots into smaller pieces, and combined it all. Tomorrow I may cook some sliced celery and maybe some frozen peas (if I have any) and add those as well. We'll have this meal with leftover Seven-Grain Bread which I baked Friday.