This recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken with Bacon and White Beans may be one of my favorite dishes to make during busy weekdays. It requires just a few minutes of prep in the morning, then you can set it and forget it until dinner time. It's also a great dish to serve if you're entertaining. It simmers away while your slow cooker does the work, leaving you free to entertain your guests (rather than be stuck in your kitchen working away).
I use an organic, nitrate free bacon to keep this on the healthier side, and I always drain and rinse the beans before adding them to the slow cooker. You don't want to use dry beans in this, because they won't soften up. For the chicken stock, be sure to choose a low sodium option. The bacon adds a fair amount of salt to this dish, and it's always easier to add more salt in later if you need to.
You can double this recipe if your slow cooker can hold it, and it makes a delicious option for make-ahead meal prep. If you're making this for guests, you can serve it with a fresh garden salad and some warm, crusty bread to soak up the juices.
Slow Cooker Chicken with Bacon and White Beans
Ingredients
- 8 slices bacon diced
- 2 large onions diced
- 6 celery stalks diced
- 4 carrots diced
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 cup chicken stock low sodium
- 2 bay leafs
- 1 sprig thyme
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs breasts will work also
- 30 oz northern beans drained and rinsed if using canned. Don't use dry beans.
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook your bacon over medium heat, until it’s crisp and all the fat is rendered out. I cook mine right in the stove-top safe pot of my slow cooker (see the notes for a slow cooker I love). If you don’t have a stop-top safe pot in your slow cooker, you can cook the bacon and vegetables in another pot, then finish everything in the slow cooker.
- Once the bacon is cooked, remove it with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add in your onions, celery, and carrots, and cook about 8 minutes or until they are soft. Add your garlic and cook about two minutes.
- Add in your bay leafs, thyme, and wine. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the wine has reduced. Give it a stir and add in your stock and chicken. Sprinkle the bacon over the top, and put the pot back into your slow cooker. Cook on low for about 8 hours. During the last hour of cooking stir in your beans. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve with a piece of crusty bread.
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