Name: Slow-Cooker Chicken Thighs With Swiss Chard and Mustard
Total time: 5 h
Ingredients: 1 onion , chopped fine; 4 garlic cloves , minced; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 1 teaspoon dry mustard; 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried; 8 (5- to 7-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs , skin removed, trimmed; Salt and pepper; 2 pounds Swiss chard , stemmed and cut into 1-inch pieces; 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard

Why This Recipe Works

Quick-cooking Swiss chard may not seem like a good match for the slow cooker, but we found that we could add it for just the last 30 minutes of cooking and get it perfectly crisp-tender without dirtying an extra pot. To complement the slightly bitter chard, we wanted a rich, mustardy sauce. We found that a combination of dry and whole-grain mustard was the key to getting the right amount of mustard flavor. Dry mustard added to the slow cooker at the beginning of cooking infused the chicken with a subtle flavor, and finishing the sauce with bold whole-grain mustard punched up its acidity. Onion, garlic, and some thyme rounded out the dish's flavors.

Instructions

1. Microwave onion, garlic, oil, dry mustard, and thyme in bowl, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes; transfer to slow cooker. Season chicken with salt and pepper and nestle into slow cooker. Cover and cook until chicken is tender, 4 to 5 hours on low.

Transfer chicken to plate. Stir chard, 1 handful at a time, into slow cooker. Arrange chicken evenly on top of chard, adding any accumulated juices. Cover and cook on high until chard is wilted, 20 to 30 minutes.

Transfer chicken to serving dish. Stir whole-grain mustard into Swiss chard and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.