Yum / Chicken Lentil Stew

Sunday was crazy hectic around our house. We sold our queen-sized bed set in less than 24 hours (Thank you, Craigslist.) and had it out of the house just in time for the delivery of our new king-sized Tempur-Pedic mattress. (Yes this bed is amazing. And, yes, I am writing this post in bed right now.) In between cleaning the house, feeding and wrangling a spirited toddler, and helping with the bed situation, I threw together a new slow cooker recipe.

I guess you could call me a "rustic cook." Unless I find a special recipe for a dinner party we are hosting or am baking, it is rare that I use a recipe to cook dinner. Most days, I literally rummage through the freezer, fridge and cabinets, dig out some meat, salad fixings, and a veggie or starch, make a sauce and call it a day. I always tell my husband, "If it doesn't taste good, we'll order pizza." Our slow cooker doesn't get as much love as it should. But on crazy days during which I know I don't want to be cooking dinner after we put the wee one down for the night, I dig out the old cooker.

So amid the chaos on Sunday afternoon, I came up with this chicken concoction. The lentils were a bit of an after thought. I threw them in an hour after I started cooking the rest of the stew. Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to take a picture of the final product, but just expect it to be thick and creamy. The chicken falls off the bone. Cubscout kept shoving handfuls of it in her mouth. For what it's worth, this recipe has a 10 month old's stamp of approval. Here's the recipe!

Chicken Lentil Stew / Serves 4

4 frozen chicken thighs
1 can (10.5 oz.) chicken broth
1 can (10.75 oz.) cream of mushroom
1/4 cup Marsala cooking wine
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups dried brown lentils
1/2 of a sweet onion, chopped
1 cup button mushrooms, sliced
1 cup baby carrots, whole
5 small red potatoes, quartered
2 Cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf

Directions

Drizzle the oil in the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the chicken in the bottom of the cooker and pour the rest of the ingredients on top. Give it a stir, and cook on low for 6 hours. Voila. Isn't that easy? Anyone can make this.

Serve it up with a side salad and rolls or biscuits. If it comes out too thick for you, you can always add more chicken stock or a 1/2 cup of water.

Vegetarian version / Leave out the chicken and replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth. Make 2 cups of lentils instead of the amount listed above. Lentils are a great way to add protein and iron into your diet.