Italian Chicken Mushroom in Wine

This Italian-style crockpot chicken builds layers of flavor before the slow cooker even comes into play. Bone-in chicken pieces get a quick sear in butter to develop color and crispy skin edges, then onions and mushrooms sautee in the same pan, and a hit of dry sherry deglazes all that golden fond off the bottom.

Everything goes into the crock with a sprinkle of Italian seasoning, then 8 to 10 hours on low transforms the whole thing into a fork-tender chicken stew with a deeply savory pan sauce. Spooned over fluffy rice, it eats like a Sunday dinner you barely worked for.

Chef Tips

• Pat the chicken bone-dry before searing. Wet skin steams instead of browning and you lose all the fond that flavors the sauce.
• Don’t crowd the skillet during the sear. Brown in two batches if needed; piled chicken steams pale instead of going golden.
• Scrape the pan thoroughly when adding sherry. The browned bits stuck to the bottom are pure flavor and dissolve into the wine.
• Use a true dry sherry (Fino or Manzanilla), not cooking sherry. Cooking sherry is salted and ruins the balance of the sauce.
• For thicker sauce, remove the chicken at the end and reduce the sauce on the stovetop for 5 to 10 minutes, or whisk in a slurry of cornstarch and water.

Variations

• Use fresh cremini or baby bella mushrooms instead of canned for deeper, meatier flavor.
• Add 3 minced garlic cloves and a splash of cream at the end for a richer, marsala-style finish.
• Serve over polenta, mashed potatoes, or buttered egg noodles instead of rice.