Slow Cooker Chicken Ragu

This one of my favourite recipes adaptable freezer friendly and cheap budget one pot

Using the three vegetables Onions, Carrots and Celery.

Slow cooker I use this for all my Italian recipes Ragu based sauce soups ideal and great to use.

One tip any sauce left over instant Pasta Sauce you need to cool it down blitz it up and sieve it then to zip bags labelled .  Great with any short shapes like Penne, Rigatoni or Fusilli or Farfalle.

Use with any other meats Meatballs those ready made ones or use a base for Bolognese

You will need blender or food processor a good roasting tray.

Or use a sauté pan.

Rapeseed oil

Slow cooker

INGREDIENTS

Chicken Thighs with bone in, Two per person.

One Jar of Passata 690g.

Onions, Celery, Carrots diced use blender or food processor.

Two per person might use more worth doing a batch for freezer.

Herbs Rosemary Thyme dried. Half teaspoon each.

Stock cube made up or just crumble in add water be fine.

I used half a pint.

Salt and Pepper.

Tomato Puree.

Secret ingredients use Tomato Ketchup need a touch of sugar to offset acidity so use this. Or if you wish to a touch of sugar.

Spice this up add Chillies or Paprika.  Favourite spices use I have always do are Fennel Seeds especially if you adding Pulses helps the digestion a useful aid. Can add Ground Coriander or Cinnamon another choice.

I use Red Wine Vinegar a touch splash gives sauces a tang and worth adding.  Also a preservative when freezing any left over sauce.

Which is useful.

Notes you can adapt this add Red Wine add Lardon or Pancetta. Use tinned Cherry Tomatoes.  Fry first Lardon Pancetta cubes.

Add Cannellini Beans and Boleti or Pulses or even other Leeks. Swede, Carrot, Celery, Onion in Cold months.

I make big batches of this freeze in tubs or if short of space good quality strong zip bag or clip bags.

METHOD

In one large roasting tray add Chicken Thighs season coat in Rapeseed Oil and cook for around ten minutes at 200 degrees or adjust .

This is just to seal meat can do this in a sauté pan I find it easier to just seal in a oven.

Food processor or blender add Vegetables small dice add Passata stock cube add herbs anything else some spices season.

Touch of water.

Blitz.

Note might have to do this in batches.  Note use a bowl to add from Food Processor of Blender. Ladle that into Slow Cooker.

Preheat Slow Cooker on Low add Chicken from Oven or Pan if using.

Sauce from Blender or Food Processor.

Use bowl to ladle in cover and on low for four to six hours.

Adjust if using a large or medium Slow Cooker might be a little longer. Longer you leave better it tastes.

I do a lot of variations of this with Pork Shoulder, Belly Pork, Shin of Beef, Lamb Shoulder or Neck.

Braising Steak, Sausages and is good with any good cheap cuts of meat long and slow the better.

Please enjoy thank you.