Adventures in Crock-potting...Chicken & Mushrooms in Wine Sauce

My family and I are on a mission to completely use up what's in our fridge and freezer in the next 20 days before we head back to NC for Christmas. A while back I had came across a recipe from a cookbook that I checked out from the library and decided to fix it tonight for dinner. I'm glad I did, because it sure was good.

I had everything on hand to make this for dinner, except mushrooms, tomato paste and thawed chicken. So, off to the store I went and came back to make a simple crock-pot dinner for my family. I still had a half bag of noodles from the Boeuf Bourguignon I made back in October and everything else is pretty much a staple pantry item. The Squished Witch wine came from the Oz Winery and made this dish superb.

Chicken & Mushrooms in Wine Sauce

3 cups sliced mushrooms (I used an 8 oz pack fresh mushrooms & 1 can of mushrooms drained)

1 large onion, sliced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 1/2 - 3 lbs of meaty chicken pieces (I used chicken thighs.)

3/4 cup chicken broth

1 6oz can of tomato paste

1/4 cup red wine (I used about 1/2 cup)

2 tbsp quick cooking tapioca or cornstarch

2 tsp sugar

2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped or 1 1/2 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp salt and pepper

2 cups of hot cooked noodles

2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated

Place mushrooms, onions and garlic in the bottom of the crock-pot. Place chicken pieces on top. In a bowl, combine broth, tomato paste, wine, tapioca or cornstarch, basil, sugar, salt and pepper. Pour over chicken. Cover; cook on low for 7-8 hours or 3 1/2 - 4 hours on high.

Remove chicken from crock-pot and remove skin and bone. Serve chicken, mushrooms and wine sauce over hot noodles and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy with a glass of red wine!