Wine & Tomato Braised Chicken -- Crock Pot

From EatingWell Magazine: January/February 2011 -- Chicken thighs cook in a simple herb-infused tomato-and-wine sauce. The bone-in thighs give it plenty of hearty flavor, and because you cook them without the skin, it keeps the dish healthy. There’s plenty of sauce, so serve it over noodles or rice.

• Ready In: 6 hrs 30 mins
• Serves: 10

Ingredients

• 10  chicken thighs (about 3 3/4 pounds, bone-in, skin removed, trimmed)
• 4  slices bacon (cooked ~ reserve 2 tablespoons bacon fat)
• 1  large onion (thinly sliced)
• 4  garlic cloves (minced)
• 1  teaspoon dried thyme
• 1  teaspoon fennel seed
• 1  teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1  bay leaf
• 1  cup dry white wine (Or, substitute 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth mixed with 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice)
• 1 (28 ounce) can tomatoes (with juice, coarsely chopped)
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 cup fresh parsley (finely chopped ~ optional, for garnish)

Directions

1. Place the skinless, bone-in chicken thighs in a 4-quart (or larger) crock pot.
2. Cook bacon ~ drain well ~ crumble bacon over chicken in crock pot.
3. IF YOU HAVE THE TIME, cook onion, over medium heat, in 2 tablespoons reserved bacon fat, stirring, until softened, 3 to 6 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, fennel seeds, pepper and bay leaf and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add wine, bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes, scraping up any browned bits. Add tomatoes and their juice and salt; stir well.
4. Pour the tomato-wine mixture over chicken.
5. IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE TIME, place the following into crock pot over the chicken: crumbled bacon, sliced onion, garlic, thyme, fennel seeds, pepper, bay leaf, wine, tomatoes and their juice, and salt!
6. Cover and cook until the chicken is very tender, about 3 hours on High, or 6 hours on Low. Remove the bay leaf.
7. Serve chicken and sauce over cooked noodles, or rice ~ garnish with chopped parsley.