Every couple of weeks I like to break out my slow cooker. This week, I found a recipe on WholeFoods Market that used chicken thighs; they stand up to long, slow cooking without loosing any of their moist flavor. I’ve owned a couple of slow cookers over the last 30-plus years, starting with a one-piece Presto that made cleaning up a nightmare.  My current version is a round All-Clad 4-quart model with a black ceramic insert and 3 temperature settings (All-Clad’s newest version has an additional one: high start/low finish). Be sure to read the instruction manual carefully in order to avoid ending up with a cracked insert. 

I did make one adjustment to the recipe: since I buy my poultry at organic markets where I can be assured of the quality (no antibiotics, thank you), even thighs can be pretty pricey. I used half as much poultry as the recipe called for and didn’t miss the extra one bit. The link to Whole Foods Market’s original recipe is here.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tsp whole fennel seeds
• 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I used 1 lb.)
• 3 firm, sweet baking apples (like Braeburn or Gala); peeled, cored and cut into 6 wedges each
• 2 medium sweet potatoes (10 oz each), peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
• 1 large sweet onion, halved and sliced
• 2 TBSP fresh (yes, it’s worth it) sage leaves
• 1 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 3/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Method

1. Toast fennel seeds in small skillet over medium heat until fragrant (about 2 mins).
2. Cut chicken thighs in half.
3. Add chicken, fennel seeds and ALL the rest of the remaining ingredients to a slow cooker.
4. Cover and cook until chicken and apples are very tender, (6-7 hours on LOW or 3-3.5 hours on High)
5. Serves 6-8