Have you ever had one of those days where you just want a super easy but comforting dinner idea? Honestly? I have them all of the time. I work a lot more hours than most people and my Tom can’t cook much more than boxed mac and cheese and even then its iffy. That means that LOVE a good dump and go dinner that is easy but tasty and nutritious too. If I left it up to Tom we’d be eating Campbells and Kraft all of the time and frankly? No. Just no.
Anyhow, since I love those easy meals, this is one of my favorite. These crockpot chicken thighs and veggies are so good, so easy to make and did I mention they’re super budget friendly to make?
Chicken thighs are one of the cheapest cuts of meat that you can buy. Usually I’m able to get them for $0.89/lb and that is at the regular price. Find them on sale and you could pay as little as $0.39/lb. They’re one of those cuts that you can stock up on and prepare them in so many ways that you could eat them often without going broke and without getting bored. Just about any recipe (just about…not all) that calls for chicken breast can be adapted to use chicken thighs instead to create a much cheaper meal.
Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs & Veggies Recipe
The thing that I really love about this recipe is that the entire meal is made for less than $4.00 usually. You can actually make it a much cheaper recipe if you use russet potatoes instead of new potatoes and use homemade chicken broth or stock. It can be spiced up by adding different seasonsings and by adding things like mushrooms, but when you need a really cheap meal, this one is it. Another reason that I like it so much is because you really can dress it up in almost any way that you want so don’t be afraid to play with the recipe a bit if you want.
You will need:
- 3-4 lb Chicken Thighs
- 2 lb Red Potatoes, quartered
- 1 lb Baby Carrots
- 1 large Onion, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp minced Garlic
- 1 tsp Thyme Leaves
- 1 tbsp Paprika
- 2 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Black Pepper
- 3 cups Chicken Broth
- 3 tsp Cornstarch
- 3 tsp Water
Begin by quartering both the onions and the potatoes.
Season the chicken thighs with the black pepper, paprika, salt and pepper and brown in a skillet with a tiny bit of oil to keep them from sticking.
Layer the potatoes, onions and carrots in the bottom of your slow cooker. Sprinkle the garlic and thyme over the vegetables.
Add the chicken thighs on top of the veggies.
Add the broth to your slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. By the time the dinner is done, your chicken should be so tender that it falls off of the bone! If you want a thicker broth or gravy, add 2 TBSP cornstarch to a bit of water to create a roux. Add to your crock when it has about an hour left and let it cook. The roux mixture will thicken the broth to create that really really yummy gravy!
Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs & Veggies
Ingredients
- 3-4 lb Chicken Thighs
- 2 lb Red Potatoes quartered
- 1 lb Baby Carrots
- 1 large Onion roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp minced Garlic
- 1 tsp Thyme Leaves
- 1 tbsp Paprika
- 2 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Black Pepper
- 3 cup Chicken Broth
- 3 tsp Cornstarch
- 3 tsp Water
Instructions
- Quarter onions and potatoes.
- Season thighs on all sides with salt, pepper and paprika.
- Brown thighs in a skillet.
- Layer potatoes, carrots and onions in slow cooker.
- Sprinkle garlic and thyme over vegetables.
- Place chicken on top of veggies.
- Add broth to slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4.
- Thighs should be so tender they are nearly falling apart.
- Mix cornstarch and water together to make a roux and add to slow cooker during last hour of cooking to thicken broth if desired.