Slow cooker chicken cacciatore is easy to make and so delicious your family and guests won’t know it’s good for them, unless you tell them. 
I have cookbooks to spare. I started my collection when I landed my first clinical nutrition job in a Philadelphia, teaching hospital. Here’s what I remember: most of my patients had diabetes. Did you know that diabetics have an increased risk of heart disease? It ‘s why I have The American Heart Association Cookbook in my library. This book has enabled me to sharpen my cardio-protective cooking skills and share this culinary knowledge with patients interested in changing their lifestyles. Many of these tips have stuck with me throughout the years.
So why this story? The Recipe Redux December theme is Grab and Book and Cook. Here’s our challenge…
We’re playing a little party game at the end of 2017: Grab your nearest cookbook and ReDux the recipe on page 201, 17, 217 – or any combination of the number ‘2017.’ (Of course, please don’t forget to credit the original recipe and change enough of the recipe to make it your very own.
…and I am choosing The American Heart Association Cookbook for this party game. On page 217 I found a recipe for Chicken in Tomato Wine Sauce. I’ve changed it up to make it a slow cooker recipe and served it over creamy polenta. 
While there is NOT a one size fits all approach to managing diabetes, this recipe fits into several eating patterns appropriate for diabetics (or anyone interested in a healthy eating and healthy aging) including low fat, DASH and Mediterranean. One serving provides a healthy dose of protein important for stabilizing blood sugar (and for muscle protein synthesis), is low in fat (particularly saturated fat), contains a whole grain, is a source of healthy fats, has no added sugar. In addition, this meal provides lycopene, a powerful antioxidant associated with lower rates of cardiovascular disease. I hope you will try this recipe and find more delicious recipes from my colleagues in the links at the bottom of this post.
PrintSlow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
A delicious Mediterranean dish that’s high in protein and includes a whole grain.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 10 1x
Ingredients
- 2 sweet onions, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 16 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 28 ounce can San Marzano peeled tomatoes (use low sodium for DASH)
- 1 cup white wine, reduced to half cup
- 1–6 ounce can tomato paste (use low sodium for DASH)
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 5 springs rosemary for garnish
- 6 cups skim lactaid milk
- 2/3 cup reduced sodium chicken stock
- 1 1/3 cups medium ground cornmeal
Instructions
- Add one tablespoon oil to large skillet and saute chicken breasts until they are just brown. Place in the bottom of slow cooker along with tomaotes, tomato paste, reduced white wine, seasonings, salt, and lemon juice. Discard any cooking fat remaining in skillet.
- Add second tablespoon oil to clean skillet and saute onions until they are translucent Add the garlic and suace until light brown. Add mushrooms and bell peppers. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour mixture over top chicken in slow cooker. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours until chicken is tender.
For the creamy polenta:
- Bring milk and chicken stock to a boil. Gradually add cornmeal stirring constanly with a whisk. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for about 20 minutes or until creamy and thickened, stirring occasionally. Cover ; remove from heat.
Serve polenta topped with chicken thigh and tomato mushroom sauce. Garnish with fresh sprig of rosemary.
Nutrition
- Calories: 371kcal
- Sugar: 16g
- Sodium: 424mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 36g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 27g
- Cholesterol: 100mg
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