Sage and Onion Chicken with Cranberry Rice

Recipe by: Judith Finlayson | from Canadian Diabetes Slow Cooker Recipes

Cookstr

Course: Main Course

Total Time: Half Day

Skill Level: Moderate

Cost: Moderate

sage-and-onion-chicken-with-cranberry-rice

Photo by: Colin Erricson

Simple but tasty, this dish has all the flavors of the Christmas turkey without the work. Add a tossed green salad or some marinated roasted red peppers to complete the meal.

Yield: Makes 12 servings (1 piece of chicken with rice per serving)

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1½ tsp (7 ml) dried sage leaves
½ tsp ( 2 ml) cracked black peppercorns
½ tsp ( 2 ml) salt
1 lb (500 g ) mushrooms, sliced
1½ cups (375 ml) brown and wild rice mixture, rinsed (see Tip)
1 cup (250 ml) dried cranberries
3 cups (750 ml) lower-salt chicken broth
Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
3 lbs ( 1/5 kg) skinless bone-in chicken thighs (about 12 thighs)

Topping:

1 tbsp (15 ml) butter
1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
1 cup (250 ml) fresh whole wheat bread crumbs
2 tbsp (25 ml) toasted sliced almonds

Directions

1. In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add onions and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, sage, peppercorns and salt and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add mushrooms and stir to coat. Add rice and stir to coat. Stir in cranberries. Add broth, orange zest and juice and bring to a boil. (You should have 4 cups/1l of liquid in total. Squeeze the orange juice into a 1 cup/250 ml measure and add broth to make up the 1 cup/250 ml, if necessary.)

2. Spoon half the rice mixture evenly over bottom of prepared slow cooker stoneware. Arrange chicken pieces evenly over top. Cover with remaining rice mixture.

3. Place two clean tea towels, each folded in half (so you will have four layers), over top of stoneware to absorb moisture. Cover and cook on Low for 6 hours or on High for 3 hours, until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a fork.

4. Topping: In a skillet, heat butter and oil over medium heat. Add bread crumbs and toss until evenly coated. Cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in almonds. Spoon evenly over cooked rice and serve immediately.

Mindful Morsels:

Cranberries (along with cherries, blueberries and other red, purple and blue fruits) are particularly good sources of anthocyanins and other antioxidants that protect all cells in the body.

Make Ahead: This dish can be partially prepared before it is cooked. Complete Step 1. Cover and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, continue with the recipe.

Notes

Works best in a large (minimum 5 quart) slow cooker.

Mixtures of wild and several varieties of brown rice now come in packages. Use plain brown rice instead, or you can make your own mixture by combining ¾ cup (175 mL) of each.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Nutrients per serving (% daily value)

Calories 299kcal (15%)

Calcium 59mg (6%)

Vitamin C 10mg (16%)

Vitamin A 24mcg RAE (1%)

Potassium 544mg

Magnesium 81mg

Protein 22g

Sugar 11g

Fiber 4g

Total Carbohydrate 37g