Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore With Potatoes -- A Hearty Pot for Quiet Summer Days

The heat settled in heavy this week and the afternoons felt thick. I spent most days inside reading or helping Mama with small chores. Jada came over on Tuesday and we sat at the kitchen table making a list of books we wanted to read over the summer. She wanted stories about dancers and I wanted anything about doctors or science. We promised to swap books when we finished them.

Monday I made a big pot of chicken stew with carrots and potatoes from the pantry. It turned out hearty and comforting. Kayla helped me peel the carrots and kept asking if this was what doctors made for sick people. I told her sometimes it was. Jamal walked in from outside, smelled the pot, and said it actually looked like something he'd eat without complaining.

On Wednesday I stayed after school for a meeting about the summer reading program. The teacher said my essay about food after the flood was thoughtful. I felt proud walking home and told Mama about it when I got back.

Thursday I helped Kayla with her reading homework. She was struggling with a story about loss and asked me if I still thought about the flood. I told her I did sometimes, but mostly I thought about how we came back stronger.

Saturday MawMaw Shirley was moving a little slower. We sat on her porch and she told me stories about her own childhood summers. I listened hard and tried to picture her as a little girl running through the same kind of heat. She said the best memories were made in the quiet moments.

At night I wrote in my notebook while the fan blew on high. Thirteen was teaching me to enjoy the quiet moments between big dreams. The flood felt farther away with every week. I still had my round face and thick coiled hair, but I was starting to feel the strength growing underneath. I wasn't rushing the summer. I was letting it stretch out slow and warm.

That Monday stew stuck with me all week—the way the whole house smelled like warmth even when the heat outside was almost too much. There’s something about a pot of chicken simmering low and slow with potatoes and vegetables that just settles everything down. Kayla peeling carrots, Jamal actually admitting it looked good—those are the quiet moments MawMaw Shirley was talking about. This slow cooker chicken cacciatore with potatoes is my version of that same feeling: hearty, simple, and worth every minute it takes to come together.

Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore With Potatoes

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 6 hours | Total Time: 6 hours 15 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 3 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks
• 1 lb baby potatoes, halved
• 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

1. Season the chicken. Pat chicken pieces dry and season generously with salt, pepper, paprika, oregano, and basil.
2. Sear the chicken. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear chicken pieces skin-side down for 3-4 minutes until golden brown. Flip and sear the other side for 2 minutes. Set aside.
3. Layer the slow cooker. Place halved potatoes, carrots, onion, bell peppers, mushrooms, and garlic in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker.
4. Add the sauce. In a bowl, stir together crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, tomato paste, and red pepper flakes. Pour half of the sauce over the vegetables.
5. Add the chicken. Nestle the seared chicken pieces on top of the vegetables. Pour the remaining sauce over the chicken.
6. Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours, until the chicken is tender and falling off the bone and the potatoes are fork-tender.
7. Adjust and serve. Taste the sauce and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve in deep bowls with crusty bread for dipping.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 34g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 32g | Fiber: 5g | Sodium: 680mg