This was dinner last night. I originally got it from the "slowcooker" group on Yahoo! Groups, which is a terrific group for anyone with a crock pot. And if you're a parent, and you don't have a crock pot, you should--they're a lifesaver.
I browned the chicken and cut up the sausage the night before making this, and put it in my fridge. Then I set it up the next morning.
My 10 year old's review of this? "MMMMMM!" In fact, we served it at an international dinner at school last year and all the kids liked it!
My changes or notes to the recipes are in bold type. Enjoy!
Arroz Con Pollo (Chicken With Rice)
If you don't have saffron,substitute turmeric, an economical and equally delicious alternative.
2 1/2 - 3 pounds meaty chicken pieces (breasts, thighs, drumsticks), skinned
1 Tbl. cooking oil
8 ounces cooked smoked turkey sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 large onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbl snipped fresh thyme or 2 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. thread saffron or 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
1 14-oz can reduced-sodium chicken broth I use chicken base in 2 cups of water
1/2 cup water If using chicken base and water, reduce to 1/4 cup
2 cups chopped tomatoes Use a drained 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
2 medium yellow or green sweet peppers, cut into thin bite-size strips(1 1/2 cups) You can use frozen pepper strips, broken into little pieces)
1 cup frozen peas
3 cups hot cooked rice or one 5-oz package saffron-flavored yellow rice mix,
cooked according to package directions.
1. In a large skillet brown chicken pieces, half at a time, in hot oil.
Drain off fat. In a 3 1/2 or 4 quart crockery cooker place chicken pieces,
turkey sausage, and onion. Sprinkle with garlic, dried thyme (if using),
black pepper, and saffron. Pour broth and water over all.
2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 7 to 8 hours or on high-heat
setting for 3.5 - 4 hours. Add the tomatoes, sweet peppers, peas, and fresh
thyme (if using)f to the cooker. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve over rice.
Remove the chicken from the pot and cut it up. It will fall off the bones, so be sure and check for small bones still in the pot. Add the chicken back to the pot and serve!