The Crock Pot Chronicles Part 1: Slow Cooker Chicken with Chile and Corn

  Sometimes there are just not enough hours in a day, right?  We all have busy lives that we try to stuff into our day, and we come home hungry.
 I am not one to sacrifice good eating for timesaving.

   Solution? CROCK POT!! I use mine at least once a week, and I have some really great recipes to share with you. I present to you, The Crock Pot Chronicles.

Part one: Something a little less ordinary.
  I was looking for a crock pot recipe that was something a little different. I found this little ditty online in a weight watchers forum.  I have included the points and nutritional information, for those of you who care.
Yes! Sometimes lowfat is actually tasty!

Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs with Chile and Corn

Ingredients

	2 spray(s) cooking spray, or enough to coat skillet
	1 1/2 medium leek(s), white parts only, chopped (about 1 cup)
	1 cup(s) mushroom(s), sliced
	1/4 tsp paprika, sweet variety
	6 thigh boneless, skinless chicken thigh(s), halved
	2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
	1/4 tsp table salt
	1/4 tsp black pepper
	2 medium corn on the cob, kernels removed with a knife   (I use 2 cups of frozen corn)
	1 average serrano chile(s), or jalapeno pepper, cored, seeded and finely chopped (do not touch seeds with your bare hands)  *see note below!
	1 cup(s) canned chicken broth

Instructions

• Coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Add leek and mushrooms and sauté over high heat until leek is tender, about 3 minutes. Remove leek and mushrooms to a slow cooker.
  
• Place chicken in a resealable plastic bag. Add flour, paprika, salt and pepper and shake well to coat chicken.
  
• Re-coat skillet with cooking spray and add chicken. Brown chicken over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes per side and place in slow cooker. Shake any remaining flour mixture from plastic bag over chicken and top with corn and chile. (Note: For even more corn flavor, run your knife over the cob to extract the corn “milk” into the slow cooker.)
  
• Pour chicken broth into skillet, raise heat to high and scrape up any brown bits with a wooden spoon. Pour broth into slow cooker. Cover slow cooker, set it on low heat and cook for 6 to 7 hours. Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving.
  

I serve this is a shallow bowl over rice.

* A lesson learned: When they say wear gloves, they mean it! I prepared this dish in the morning before I went to work... before I put on makeup.

 I touched my face with my fingers and holy cow! I had jalepeno burn all around my eye... it hurt and watered and I was not able to get makeup on before I had to go to work. The lesson: either wear gloves or put on your makeup first!