slow cooked chicken provencal.

on a fresh, sunny spring evening, there's nothing quite like a light, warming meal with home baked bread and cold glass of wine. chicken provenҫal is a french inspired dish which embraces the union of garlic, rosemary, marjoram and thyme in a mouthwatering tomato sauce. this weekend, i tried out this simple recipe from the latest schwartz slow cooker spice mix collection along with a freshly baked cheese loaf. 

shopping list.

for the chicken provencal

(serves four)

one sachet schwartz slow cookers chicken provenҫal recipe mix 

one red pepper, sliced
one yellow pepper, sliced

one carrot, chopped
eight skinless chicken thighs or drumsticks, trimmed of fat
400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato purée
a dash of red wine

preparation time: 15 minutes 

cooking time: 4-8 hours.

for the simple cheesy bread

500g strong white bread flour
7g fast action dried yeast

a pinch of salt

300ml water
1 tsbp olive oil
a sprinkle of your favourite cheese

preparation time: 15 minutes
proving time: 1 hour
baking time 30 minutes

the slow cooker mix, which requires no stock or water, delivers a really thick and flavoursome sauce mixture made from dried onion, dried garlic, rosemary, black pepper, basil, oregano, thyme and marjoram that you simply mix with chopped tomatoes and tomato purée. 

you can be as creative as you like with the vegetables; as you can see i chose peppers and carrots. however the hints and tips suggest for an authentic twist you could try adding pitted olives and a splash of red wine, or stir in a handful of capers at the end of cooking. however i would wholly recommend the thigh and drumstick cuts of chicken, as their rich flavour really lends itself to slow cooking until delicious and tender.

step one: place the sliced peppers, diced carrots and chicken into your slow cooker pot.

next, simply mix the slow cooker mix with the tomato ingredients. stir together and then thoroughly coat your chicken and vegetables.

cover and set to cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. the recipe states that this is based on a 3.5l morphy richards though the breville i used worked exactly the same on the four hour setting.

finally, sit back and enjoy your home fill with delicious flavours whilst you catch up on awful tv and sip on a cuppa. domestic god or goddess yes you are.

if you'd like to accompany with a simple homemade bread, here's how. mix the flour, yeast and salt together in a bowl. create a well in the middle and slowly pour in the water and olive oil. 

if you have a mixer with dough hook attachment allow to knead for five minutes. if not, a little elbow grease for ten minutes will do the trick.

add a little olive oil to some cling flim and wrap up. allow to prove in a warm place for 1 hour.

sprinkle with cheese and bake for 30 minutes on 180 degrees. another great tip for soft crusty bread is to add a little dash of water to the bottom of the oven whilst baking.

open up your slow cooker (if you haven't been peeking already) to unveil an appetising chicken casserole. 

serve up with a slice of warm bread and butter - perfect for mopping up that sauce! you could also try it with parmentier potatoes, a seasonal salad or simply on its own.

a fitting april alternative to a roast, with an ensemble of indulgent flavours that were worth the wait. great for those who want to try out slow cooking and a variety of herb combinations all in one packet. do you have any favourite slow cooker recipes? would you ever try a spice mix and if so which one?

featured post. all opinions and writing are my own.