Pear Thyme Slow Cooker Chicken
Who doesn’t love a good slow cooker recipe? There is less cleanup, you can make it ahead of time and the flavor is so jam packed into the dish that you literally can’t even when you take a bite. Pear with fresh thyme is such a lovely combination. The sweetness of the pear with the thyme just really is an underrated duo.
I used Rigoni di Asiago Pear Fiordifrutta for this recipe. What I truly love about this pear fruit spread is that there is no added sugar because, let’s face it, fruit is sweet enough, it has an incredible taste, is non-GMO and it’s organic.
You could use this fruit spread as a spread, with cheeses, on cookies, pies, cakes and even to make this delicious slow cooker chicken recipe.
Rigoni di Asiago started with the Rigoni grandmother, Nonna Elisa in Italy. Her husband died in World World I and with 9 children she had to think outside of the box to make a living and take care of her family. She learned some beekeeping skills from her late husband and with the help of her two oldest sons, they sold honey. By the 1930’s this honey became a household name all over Italy. Today her family has inherited the company and still provide quality, organic products all over the world.
They still use Nonna Elisa’s recipes today and all of their products are inspired by her as they develop new ideas. They believe in using organic, non-GMO ingredients that are simple, healthy and of good quality.
I found their fruit spread about 5 years ago when I was looking for a fruit spread that had no added sugars in it. I decided to give their strawberry a try and it’s just perfect for toast, pancakes or baking.
Here are a few things you should know about this recipe. Please use fresh thyme. It will totally transform your recipe and add so much flavor to it. You will not regret it at all. You can use any broth or even water in place of the chicken broth. I strongly suggest you brown your chicken thighs before assembling the ingredients in your slow cooker. I have tried it both ways and it’s 100,000% better when you brown your meat before putting it in your slow cooker.
To find Rigoni di Asiago Pear Fiordifrutta in a store near you, please HERE!
To brown the meat, I used Fourth & Heart's Himalayan Pink Salt Ghee. Ghee is clarified butter butter. It is lactose free, doesn't spoil easily, is rich in vitamins, promotes a healthy digestive tract and has a higher smoking point. It's paleo friendly, and while it's getting some major attention now, it's nothing new. It actually dates back centuries in India. The word "ghee" is the Hindi word for "fat" and people everywhere are using it for cooking, baking, in their coffee (yes butter in the coffee), and now to make this awesome Pear Thyme Chicken dish!
I prefer to use Fourth & Heart's ghee. They have some amazing flavors, too. My favorite of them all is no surprise, the California Garlic. We love using the White Truffle Salt to cook chicken, the Madagascar Vanilla Bean for pancakes or on toast and soon, they will launch their sprayable ghee! I know, right?! To learn more about Fourth & Heart, to order online or find out where to buy, click HERE.
__________
INGREDIENTS
8-10 chicken drumsticks/legs
1 TB fresh thyme leaves
pinch sea salt
chicken broth
3-4 shallots - optional
Directions:
In a large skillet on medium-high, add your ghee. Once melted, place your chicken legs in the skillet and cook for a few minutes on each side. You should start to see some color. Once chicken legs have some color, turn heat off and set aside.
In a small bowl, mix together the Rigoni di Asiago Pear fruit jam, the fresh thyme leaves and a pinch of sea salt.
In your slow cooker, pour enough chicken broth so that you cannot see the bottom. This will help keep the chicken moist. Assemble your chicken legs in the slow cooker. Carefully spoon your pear thyme mixture on top of the chicken. You want to make sure that each chicken leg has some of the pear thyme goods.
If you would like to add a few shallots around the sides, just cut your shallot into halves or quarters and place them around the edges.
Add a sprig of thyme to the middle, cover and cook on high for 3 hours.
Serve with veggies of choice and enjoy.
