Slightly Italian Chicken
Submitted by jazzchef
Slightly Italian crockpot chicken: slow-cooked chicken breasts with artichoke hearts, mushrooms, and Italian dressing sauce thickened with tapioca. Set-and-forget weeknight dinner for four.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
5 hrsREADY
6 hrsA crockpot classic with a smart cheat: quick-cooking tapioca as the thickener. Sprinkled in with the vegetables at the start, it dissolves invisibly into the sauce as everything cooks, leaving you with a thickened gravy that needs no last-minute roux or slurry.
The “slightly Italian” name is honest. There’s no marinara here, no parmesan, no big Italian flavors. Instead you get oregano, garlic powder, lemon juice, white wine, and bottled Italian dressing combining into a tangy, herbaceous sauce that’s reminiscent of chicken piccata more than spaghetti night.
Canned artichoke hearts and mushrooms are the pantry-friendly vegetable load. Both hold up to the long slow cook without going to mush, unlike fresh versions which can disintegrate. Drain them well before adding so they don’t water down the sauce.
Five to six hours on high is the sweet spot. Boneless chicken breasts can dry out in slow cookers, but the lemon-wine sauce keeps them moist while the tapioca-thickened liquid bastes them throughout.
Pro Tips
- Use quick-cooking (instant) tapioca, not pearl tapioca. They behave differently.
- Bone-in chicken thighs work too and are more forgiving of long cook times.
- Add a pound of mini potatoes around the chicken for a one-pot meal.
- Serve over rice, pasta, or polenta to catch the sauce.
Variations
- Use bottled Caesar dressing instead of Italian for a sharper, garlicky version.
- Add a can of diced tomatoes for a more traditionally Italian sauce.
- Stir in a handful of fresh spinach in the last 15 minutes for extra greens.
Ingredients
Directions
Spray crock inside with Vegetable Spray.
Place drained mushrooms, drained artichoke hearts and chopped green onions in bottom of crockpot.
Sprinkle vegetables with a heaping Tablespoon of quick- cooking tapioca and 1 envelope of chicken bouillon (I use MBT brand of low- sodium chicken bouillon, but any will do).
If you’re using granulated bouillon, use about a heaping teaspoon.
Place well-washed and dried boneless chicken breasts (all skin and fat removed).
Combine remaining sauce ingredients and pour on top of chicken and vegetables.
Cover and set crockpot on High.
Cook 5 to 6 hours or until tender. The tapioca thickens the sauce while it cooks (you can’t even guess the tapioca is in there later).
I used Minute Maid fresh frozen lemon juice because I don’t like the taste of Real-Lemon and I didn’t have a fresh lemon on hand.
** I use Angostura brand low-sodium worcestershire
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