Slow cooker roasted chicken

Hello again! Long time, no see. I haven't posted in a while on this blog because not just I haven't been very inspired to do so, but also life got in the way. If you read my main blog you probably already know that I've had furniture to assemble and other stuff to take care of. But, I don't want to bore you with that, so let's get into the food.

I don't know about you, but in summer I feel less inspired to cook, specially complex dishes that require a lot of preparation. One of those recipes I rely on during the hottest months is this slow cooker chicken that requires barely any preparation or attention, so I can go about my day. I make it for two people, and we have plenty for lunch, but you can make more, or even add potatoes, if you feel you won't have enough food. This recipe is so easy to tailor to your own needs. 

Ingredients:

• Chicken leg quarters (hindquarters), or any other part of the chicken you like. 
• Italian seasoning.
• Pepper.
• Olive oil.
• Lemon juice.
• Potatoes (optional, if you want them as a side dish). 

Servings: 2

Cooking time: 4-5 hours

Temperature: High

Preparation time: 5-10 minutes

Start by cleaning your chicken. I always ask the butcher to remove the skin for me, so I don't have to. Also, depending on how big it is, I might ask them to cut it, so it will fit inside the slow cooker. Add some salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and olive oil on both sides of the chicken. 

On your slow cooker, pour a tiny bit of water and add some Italian seasoning. When I started making this dish, I didn't add the water and I felt the chicken sometimes felt a bit dry. Adding some water creates some steam that will help the chicken stay moist. 

Place a suitable grid inside the slow cooker. If you don't have a grid, you can always make a few balls of aluminum foil and place the chicken on top. 

Place the chicken on top of the grid, and drizzle some more olive oil and a bit of lemon juice. If you want to cook some potatoes, cut them open and place them on top of the chicken. 

Cook in High for 4-5 hours. I usually cook it for 5 hours, but smaller pieces might need less time. Similarly, if you wanted to cook a full chicken (if it fits), you would probably need to cook it for a big longer. 

Once it's cooked it's time to serve. Between the water that we've poured and the juices from the chicken, we'll have delicious sauce at the bottom. Pour it over your chicken, so it will get tastier.

I hope you enjoyed this post. It's quite a simple recipe, but such a staple in my summer menus. Also, I don't know if you noticed, but some of my photos look quite saturated in color. I did not edit them, but my phone camera had an update, and now every time I take photos of food, the colors come out very saturated. I'm trying to figure out how to fix it, but for now we'll have to deal with it.

I hope you're all staying well, and healthy and I'll see you hopefully next month.

M. C.