Name: Slow-Cooker Chicken Pomodoro
Total time: 2 h
Cuisine: ItalianEurope
Ingredients: 1/4 cup finely chopped onion; 1/4 cup tomato paste; 2 garlic cloves , minced; 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil; 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh oregano or 1/8 teaspoon dried; Salt and pepper; Pinch red pepper flakes; 1/4 cup heavy cream; 2 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts , trimmed; 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Why This Recipe Works

Chicken pomodoro should be perfectly suited for the slow cooker, but most slow-cooker recipes result in a dull, waterlogged dish. For a pomodoro recipe with assertive tomato flavor, we'd need to perfect the sauce. Both fresh tomatoes and canned diced tomatoes released too much liquid during cooking. Compounded with the juices from the chicken, they created a thin, dull sauce. Switching to tomato paste proved to be the answer; the thick, concentrated paste, thinned with a little heavy cream and the chicken's juices, gave our sauce the perfect consistency and bold tomato flavor. Finishing the sauce with Parmesan contributed a nutty flavor, and a sprinkling of fresh basil tied it all together.

Before You Begin

You will need an oval slow cooker for this recipe. Check the chicken's temperature after 1 hour of cooking and continue to monitor until it registers 160 degrees.

Instructions

1. Microwave onion, tomato paste, garlic, oil, oregano, ¼ teaspoon salt, and pepper flakes in bowl, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes; transfer to slow cooker. Stir in cream. Season chicken with salt and pepper and arrange in even layer in slow cooker. Cover and cook until chicken registers 160 degrees, 1 to 2 hours on low.

Sprinkle chicken with Parmesan, cover, and let sit until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and serve.