This hearty, slow cooked stew is gluten free and full of flavour and whips up effortlessly!

Yield: 6 to 8
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 4 to 8 hours

Gluten-Free Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

As soon as the weather turns chilly, the slow cooker resumes its autumn and winter home atop my kitchen counter. Last week, we had this decadent chicken cacciatore stew bubbling away for 8 hours one day and it was absolutely delicious! Like any good slow cooker recipe, it's filled with everything you need to keep you full!

Now ordinarily chicken cacciatore has olives in it, but this one doesn't because I don't like olives, but if you like them, add them in! And while we're on the subject, if there are things you don't like, feel free to leave them out or swap them--the choice is yours. You've gotta eat it; you should be in control of what goes in it.

Ingredients:

For the chicken cacciatore
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 garlic clove, diced
1 onion, diced
1 gluten free beef stock cube
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 bell peppers, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
2 potatoes, quartered
250ml red wine
250 grams mushrooms, sliced
500 grams boneless skinless chicken thighs
dried parsley
salt
pepper
Need a conversion? Use this handy chart.

Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore

I decided to serve this with gluten free couscous and broccoli, but you can serve it with anything you like! I also chose to use boneless and skinless chicken thighs, but again, just use whatever you like most or whatever you have on hand. The only thing I'd suggest you stay away from would be chicken breast. It has the tendency to dry out in a slow cooker. Also, it's not in the recipe, but if you feel like your tomatoes have a bit of a metallic taste, don't forget to put a pinch of sugar in to cut through it.

One more recommendation: while you can cook this in 4 hours on a high setting, it is so much better if you cook it on low for 8. Just pop everything in except for the mushrooms and parsley before you head out the door in the morning. Then when you come home, add the mushrooms while you whip up whatever you're serving it with!

Instructions:

1. Put the onin, garlic, carrots, potatoes, bell peppers, tomatoes, tomato paste and chicken thighs in the slow cooker. 
2. Pour over the red wine, stir well and crumble in the beef stock cube along with some salt and pepper.
3. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
4. Add the mushrooms 30 minutes before serving and sprinkle over the parsley and enjoy!