Italian Stuffing (For the Crock Pot)

This is an easy way to make your stuffing. Sometimes, when cooking for the holidays, your oven is full of other delicious dishes. Now, you can put your crock pot to good use. We like the hot Italian sausage, but you can also use the mild. Also, I like Pepperidge Farm herb stuffing for the packaged stuffing. You can use the water that you cooked the chicken in for your chicken broth or buy 3 C chicken broth.

• Ready In: 4 hrs 30 mins
• Serves: 10

Ingredients

• 1  lb  rye cocktail bread, loaf
• 1 (120 g) package herb stuffing mix
• 2  chicken drumsticks
• 1  lb hot Italian sausage
• 1  cup zucchini
• 1  garlic clove, crushed
• 1 (9 ounce) package frozen spinach
• 1  cup celery
• 1  cup carrot
• 1  cup onion
• 2  tablespoons butter
• 1  tablespoon cumin
• 1  tablespoon nutmeg
• 3  cups chicken broth
• 1⁄2 cup cooking wine, white
•  black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Put chicken legs in a saucepan with 4 C water and cook over medium heat until no longer pink, about 30 minutes. Check for doneness. Let cool. Take off skin. Chop meat into bite size pieces. Reserve cooking water for chicken broth.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet. Brown sausage. Drain.
3. Chop up celery, zucchini, carrots, and onion.
4. In the crock pot, spray with cooking spray or use a crock pot liner. Put the stuffing mix on the bottom. Break rye bread into bite size pieces and add.
5. Add chopped vegetables and sausage. Add spinach. Add chopped chicken.
6. Add crushed garlic, cumin, nutmeg.
7. Add chicken broth—either the water the chicken cooked in or 4 C prepared broth in the can or package. Add black pepper to taste.
8. Cook on low 4-5 hours, stirring occasionally. Add water, ¼ C at a time, if the stuffing is looking dry.