Autumn Chicken and Rice

EmmyDuckie's Note:

A classic chicken and rice dish with a little twist of wild rice and apples for a hearty, warming fall or winter supper. We used a seasoned packaged wild rice blend, but plain long grain and wild rice should work fine. If you're using plain, you may want to adjust your seasonings slightly, as your salt content will be lower.

• Total Time: 4 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 4 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 3 carrots , sliced
• ½ tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 medium onion , diced
• 2 celery ribs , chopped
• 6 slices bacon
• 6 bone in chicken thighs
• 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon spicy mustard
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup apple cider
• 1 (8 ounce) package long grain and wild rice blend
• 1 apple , chopped

Directions:

1. Place carrots, onion, garlic, and celery in crock pot.
2. Cook bacon over medium heat in a large skillet, reserving a few tablespoons of bacon fat, crumble and add to crock pot.
3. Coat chicken thighs in poultry seasoning and salt and pepper to taste, brown chicken in bacon fat.
4. Add chicken pieces, mustard, bay leaves, and liquids to crock pot.
5. Cook on high 4 hours, or low 8 hours.
6. 30 minutes before serving, add rice and apples. Debone and roughly chop chicken, if desired, or leave pieces whole. Turn heat to high (if not already on high) and allow rice to absorb all liquid.

Reviews

[Beth in Tennessee]

I really liked thisw crock pot recipe. I shreddde the chicken and mixed with everything else rather then keeping it on the bone. I had a couple sweet potatoes I needed to use up, so I put those in place of the carrots. A little tip, I left it in the crock on low after I ate while waiting for my fiance to get home after working late, and the rice soaked up a ton of liquid. I think it was beter before it soaked all this up. But it is super tasty!!!

[Lynne the Pirate Queen]

Simply wonderful! Just the right combination of sweet and savory. The bacon added a noticeable, but not overpowering, touch that was perfect. We prefer white meat to dark, so I used 5 small/average-sized chicken breasts, which I cut into thirds before browning in the bacon fat. As for the rice, I used an unseasoned basmati-wild rice blend, which worked great except that I had to guess a little on the amount -- I had a partial 16 oz bag, so I gave a rough estimate on what 8 oz would be... clearly I could have added more, since there was still some liquid in the pot at the end of the cooking time. No biggie, though. It was still eagerly devoured. :) My fiance has already asked me to make this again! Thanks for sharing a great recipe.

[Ed&Theresa]

Loved this dish, flavors worked well together. Loved the addition of apple cider. Already have shared recipes with relatives. Will make again.