Mushroom and Bacon Chicken Thighs make a great family meal and can be served straight from the slow cooker for easy cleanup. The dish also is comparatively inexpensive to make and easy to put together and pop in the slow cooker on a work day. Assembling the dish is even faster if you do the vegetable chopping work ahead of time. You won't find any mushroom soup in this dish, but you will find plenty of flavor. Onions, celery, and, of course, mushrooms season the tender thighs. The bacon adds a bit of smokey-salty flavor. Try the chicken thighs with noodles, rice, or potatoes and a green vegetable or salad. You won't get any complaints about "chicken again!" if you serve this dish. Enjoy!
Mushroom and Bacon Chicken Thighs -- Serves 4+
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 - 2 pounds)
1/2 cup of chopped onion
1-2 stalks of celery, chopped
8 ounces of mushrooms (I use baby bellas or regular button mushrooms), sliced
1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
3-4 tablespoons of bacon crumbles (the kind from the bag is just fine)
1/2 cup of chicken broth
1 cup of sour cream
1/3 cup of flour
1/2 cup of milk
Parsley or dried parsley flakes (optional)
Coat the insert of a slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray and turn the cooker to high. In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave the onion, celery, mushrooms, and 1-2 tablespoons of water for 3-5 minutes or until the vegetables have softened a little. While the vegetables are cooking, put the chicken thighs in the slow cooker in one layer. Sprinkle the thighs with the garlic powder, poultry seasoning, thyme, salt, pepper, and bacon bits. Cover the thighs with the microwaved vegetables. In a large bowl or measuring container, combine the chicken broth, sour cream, flour, and milk and whisk everything together well. Pour the mixture over the chicken and vegetables. Cover the slow cooker, turn down the heat to low, and let the chicken cook for about 4 hours or until very tender. Stir the sauce well and, if you'd like, sprinkle a little parsley or dried parsley over the chicken before you serve it. If the sauce is a little to thin for your preference, you can thicken it by stirring in a cornstarch slurry (1/4 cup of milk, plus 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch, stirred together until the cornstarch dissolves). Simply turn up the heat of the slow cooker to high and gently stir the cornstarch mixture into the sauce. Keep stirring for a few minutes until the sauce thickens. Turn off the slow cooker and serve the chicken over rice, noodles, or whatever you'd like.
