Spicy Crockpot Chicken in Spinach and Yogurt Sauce

Ready in about 4 hours, this chicken recipe also requires a large slow cooker, some common spices, butter, yogurt and frozen spinach. Excellent for company, a pot luck, even to impress a date with your home cooking!

Main Ingredients

- 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- One onion, finely chopped
- 6 to 8 garlic cloves, halved
- One 300g (small) package frozen spinach, defrosted, excess water pressed out.
- Two slices of orange or one tbsp citrus juice (orange, lemon or lime to your personal preference).
- 1/2 cup sliced butter
- 1 cup to 1 1/2 cups milk. (I use low fat: you may use whatever suits you, including plain unflavored soy or rice milk).
- 2/3rds cup or more plain full-fat yogurt. (I use Balkan style).
- Sprinkling of finely chopped green onions, chives or leeks (optional).
- 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (optional)

Spices

Garam Masala, 2 or more tsps (to taste)

-OR substitute the following for a milder taste:

Half of one bay leaf (optional)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp or more curry powder (to taste)

Blend all spices, set aside.

Instructions

1) Layer slices of butter at bottom of 5 quart slow cooker. (You may use a larger slow cooker if necessary.)

2) Layer defrosted, drained spinach on top of the butter. If slow cooker is taller than it is wide, you may wish to reserve some spinach for a second layer. if the cooker is wide, use up all the spinach on the bottom layer.

3) Layer boneless skinless chicken breasts on top of the spinach. If there is not room for all the chicken breasts to fit alongside each other, you may make another layer of spinach on top of the breasts which fit, then layer more chicken on top of that, and so forth.

4) When all chicken and spinach is in the slow cooker, sprinkle chopped onion and garlic slices evenly across top and sides of the contents. Add green onions and/or mushrooms now if you are using them.

5) Add Garam Masala evenly to taste (about 2 tsps), or add 2/3rds of the spice mixture described above. if you desire a deeper, more intense flavor, you may use the entire spice mixture.

6) Pour 1 cup milk or milk substitute over entire contents. If you will want a lot of sauce later, you may add as much as 2 cups of milk, but be sure to add extra spinach, butter and vegetables in proportion if you do this. The vegetables and juices from the chicken, as well as the milk, will form the basis of your sauce later.

7) Place lid on slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours. important: slow cookers vary, and yours may finish earlier or later than mine. Check the chicken at the 4 hour mark: is is cooked all the way through? If uncertain, give it more time. Check individual operating instructions for your particular slow cooker.

8) Remove cooked chicken, set aside. Remove bay leaf, discard.

9) Add yogurt to spinach sauce mixture which is still in the slow cooker. Add at least 2/3rds of a cup: you may want to add more until you reach the desired consistency of your sauce. It should be smooth and liquidy and about the consistency of gravy: neither too thick nor too runny.

10) Place chicken on individual serving plates. Pour spinach/yogurt sauce over chicken. Serve with vegetables and brown rice, if desired. Sauce also tastes great poured over the rice.