Basque chicken stew

One of the things I made on Crock Pot Weekend a couple weeks ago was a recipe I found called Basque Chicken Stew. I followed the recipe, well, as close as I follow any recipe, and it was just ok. Last Sunday I thought I'd try again as the weather refuses to warm up any and we've had enough intermittent snow or rain to make washing the car pointless.

When this batch was done I divided it up and froze it, and we pulled some out tonight for dinner. A couple of additions (capers and wine) made a difference so I thought I'd share.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
6 slices bacon, chopped
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 red bell pepper, cut in 1 inch squares
1 green bell pepper, cut in 1 inch squares
1 bunch green onions, sliced into half inch sections, white and half the green part
4 chicken brest halves, cut into 1 inch dice
1 can (4 oz) sliced ripe olives
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried ground marjoram
1/2 teaspoon salt (I like kosher salt)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Prep:

Heat olive oil in large skillet and saute bacon until browned. Add mushrooms, peppers, and onion and saute for another minute. Add vinegar (honestly I don't measure, I just pour what seems right) and cook one minute more, scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Set aside.

Place chicken in the bottom of a 3.5 quart or larger slow cooker. (It seems like you might want to brown the chicken, but I didn't and it's fine) Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix. At this point I added a handful of capers and a big slosh of the Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc we'd opened. I also added a bit more of the chicken broth since I'd opened the can and only used a quarter cup. Pour everything over the chicken and vegetables.

Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. I cooked on medium for between 5 and 6 hours, which also worked). We like it better reheated the next day, or frozen for later on.