This rustic stew-like recipe features flavors of tomato, mushroom, and chicken which come together with zero effort on your part! This is just the sort of food you will think about all day at work…and it’ll keep you going!

In case you haven’t noticed…crock pots are life! This is another easy dump and run recipe that uses some pantry staples to put together a “stick to your bones” dinner that is perfect for these cold and windy Fall nights. We actually turned on the fireplace, so it’s certainly time for something that will warm you from the inside out. On the upside, the chilly temps make for excellent sleeping weather, am I right?? There’s just something about heaping on the blankets so that you can be nice and toasty while sleeping in a cold room.

But I digress…back to the recipe! Prep time took me about 15-20 minutes in the morning, probably would take less time if I wasn’t half asleep 😴. Here you go…

Ingredients

• 3 lbs chicken breast (that worked out to 4 breasts in my package)
• 3 large carrots cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 1 small/medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 can sliced mushrooms, drained
• 1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 heaping tablespoons of Sundried Tomato Pesto
• 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes (optional, but the little heat it adds really makes this dish!)
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatos (Hunt’s Fire Roasted Garlic is my go to) don’t drain this can!
• 1 bottle of your favorite marinara sauce (I LOVE Vincents!!)
• 1/4 cup red wine…use whatever kind you have on hand!
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (I used Fig Balsamic from Crushed Olive…use what you’ve got!)
• Pasta or Rice to serve over

Instructions

• Line your crock pot with your trusty liner!! Or do more dishes later, whatever.
• Place your chicken in the bottom of your crock pot.
• Add remaining ingredients, except pasta/rice. Give everything a good stir to spread all that flavor around.
• Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Go to work and try not to drool all day just thinking about this!
• When finished cooking, remove the chicken to a plate and shred. Return shredded chicken to the crock and let it “steep” while you boil up your pasta or rice.
• Serve over your pasta or rice, and be sure to wear your napkin around your neck, this is a saucy one!

If you don’t have chicken breasts, or think that they are too dry after being cooked, you can use chicken thighs instead. I would do 3.5-4 lbs. in that case to make up for weight you’ll lose with the bones. You can choose to shred the thighs, or keep them as intact as possible, just be mindful for bones. I’m also sure that this would serve well alongside oven roasted or mashed potatoes; especially if you go the thigh route.