Slow Cooker Chicken and Mushroom Hotpot

At this time of year all you want to eat is comfort food, warm cosy bakes, stews, casseroles and the like. The sort of dishes that create a warm pleasantly scented fug in your kitchen, dishes that thrive on neglect, not in the flavour stakes but in the cooking,quietly simmering in the background to slowly create multi layered dishes of delight.

Chicken is a popular meat which doesn't really need the slow cooker treatment as it cooks pretty fast but sometimes you just need the convenience of being able to put all your ingredients in the cooker and leave it to get on with cooking whilst you get on with your life. Yesterday was one of those days, wild wet weather and lots going on, so I popped this dish on around lunchtime so that it would be ready for supper.

Christened a hotpot as it bears a passing resemblance to that old faithful Lancashire Hotpot.

What you need

• 2 Chicken breast fillets, chopped in to bite sized chunks
• 6 -8 button mushrooms, sliced
• 5 small onions (pickling size or shallots)
• 1 stick of celery - chopped
• 1 large carrot - peeled and chopped
• About 400ml Chicken stock 
• Fresh thyme 
• Couple of bayleaves
• Splash of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 heaped tsp grain mustard
• 1 tbsp cornflour - slaked with a little water
• Salt and pepper
• 4 large potatoes - peeled and sliced thinly
• Olive oil

What you do

• Preheat your slow cooker, whilst you fry off the chicken pieces in a little olive oil in a frying pan
• Once they are lovely and golden , add all the vegetables except the potatoes to the pan and cook for a few minutes, to soften slightly.
• Now add the stock, mustard, herbs, Worcestershire sauce to the pan, give it a good stir and let simmer for about 3 minutes, then add the slaked cornflour. This will thicken the sauce.
• In the slow cooker layer the potato slices with the chicken and vegetable mixture, topping off with potatoes. Add a little boiling water if the dish looks dry.
• Cook on high for at least 4 hours until the potatoes are cooked and the chicken is tender. Season and serve on its own or with your choice of green vegetables.

This post and recipe was created in association with Schwartz  for which I have been compensated. This recipe is my original work.