Slow-Cooker Escargot Butter Chicken

There are no snails in this dish, but it does have a very rich buttery garlic flavor; the same garlic/butter sauce used in escargot. As the chicken cooks very slowly with Cannellini beans, herbs and other flavorings a luscious “gravy” is formed making the dish feel very much like a rustic French cassoulet.

Minus toasted croutons.

My husband, Jerry is ready to dig in!

I read so many recipes that I sometimes forget where I found them. I think this is a New York Times recipe. I tweaked it up just a tiny bit by using my frozen parsley from last years prolific crop instead of fresh flat-leafed parsley. These parsley pops are easy to make and provide you with wonderfully fresh parsley all year long. Just chop the parsley in a food processor, add to an ice cube tray and fill with water. Once frozen, pop the parsley cubes out and store in a zip-lock bag in the freezer. You can do this with all of your herbs. Great for soups, stews, casseroles and more.

The first night I served it I forgot to top the dish with toasted croutons. The second night I served it, I remembered the croutons, but forgot the parsley garnish. Geesh! I’m either losing it or doing too much at one time! Slow down, girl!!

Minus fresh parsley garnish.

The other little tweak was to add both the juice of one lemon and its zest.

Start by mincing 8 cloves of garlic and 1 medium sized shallot in a mini food-processor.

Once you’ve assembled the ingredients, lay the chicken thighs in the bottom of the slow-cooker, add 2 cans rinsed and drained Cannellini or other white beans, 4 Tbsp. butter, the minced garlic and shallot, 1/3 cup parsley, or in my case 3 parsley pops, lemon juice and zest and salt. Add several generous grinds of black pepper.

I also deviated from the recipes cooking method by cooking for the first hour on high; then reduced to low and cooked another 3 hours.

While the dish is slowly cooking, cube some bread from a baguette. You may also use store-bought croutons, but these fresh croutons are much tastier.

Spray with cooking spray. Add a generous pinch of  finishing salt, like Maldon and lightly toast. Kosher salt works well, too. Set aside.

Stir all ingredients in the crock pot a couple of times as it cooks. Once the chicken is super tender tear apart using two forks to form large bite-sized pieces. Finally, check for seasonings, add 1/2 cup sour cream or Greek style yogurt, which brings the whole dish together and serve topped with croutons and more fresh parsley.

The croutons really do make a difference adding just the right contrast in texture. And the parsley also adds a lot, as the dish (mainly shades of brown) is not that pretty. The parsley adds a nice color and a bright flavor, which is good to the last bite!

My husband, Jerry is a member of the “Clean Plate Club”!