Slow Cooker Chicken, Sausage and White Bean Stew

I keep copying recipes from my library's ATK Slow Cooker Revolution cookbook, although many of the stew recipes have the same flavor profile (onions, garlic, tomato paste, thyme, broth, etc.) In any event, this was a nice, hearty stew. It required the additional effort of "precooking/hands on time" that comes with most of ATK's slow cooker recipes, but it made enough and was good enough to be worth the effort. I'd give a B plus, can be streamlined and is a good starting point for more creativity.

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
Salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 lb Italian sausage links, sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 onions, minced
1 fennel bulb, sliced thin
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp minced fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1/3 cup all purpose white flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus extra if needed
2 bay leaves
2 15-oz cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
6 oz baby spinach

1. Dry chicken with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Brown half of chicken lightly on both sides, 5 to 8 minutes, transfer to bowl. Repeat with 1 tablespoon more of oil and remaining chicken; transfer to bowl.

2. Heat remaining tablespoon of oil over medium high. Brown sausage well, about 3 minutes, transfer to bowl with chicken. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat left in pan, add onions, fennel, garlic, tomato paste thyme and red pepper flakes and cook over medium heat until vegetables are softened and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in wine, scraping up any browned bits. Whisk in 1 cup broth smoothing out any lumps; transfer to slow cooker. Stir remaining 3 cups broth and bay leaves into slow cooker. Nestle browned chicken/sausuage with any accumulate juice into slow cooker. Cover and cook until chicken is tender, 4 to 6 hours on low.

4. Transfer chicken to cutting board, let cool slightly then shred into bite-sized pieces. Let stew settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface using large spoon. Discard bay leaves.

5. Stir in beans and spinach, cover and cook on high until heated through, about 10 minutes. Stir in shredded chicken and let sit until heated through about 5 minutes. Add additional hot broth as needed. Serve with parmesan.

Changes/Mistakes

- My Mistake: I removed sausage from casing. I read the recipe wrong. Yet, when I went back it never explicitly stated when to slice the sausage anyways.
- I never heat oil until smoking/never use all. I just brown.
- I transferred browned meat right to cooker not a bowl because I hate to mess up another dish.
- I used hot turkey sausage and left out red pepper in case it was too hot. It needed red pepper IMHO.
- I cook onions first to give a head start, then add other ingredients, particularly so garlic doesn't brown.
- I poured the slow cooked "broth" after cooking into gravy separator in an effort to remove fat. Messy and it probably did not really need it.
- I needed extra broth, probably because I crumbled the sausage.

Cathy in SWPA