Chicken Thighs in Orange-Tomato Sauce (Recipe)

To avoid ending up with a fatty sauce, purchase skinless, boneless chicken thighs to use in this dish.  Serve over hot steamed rice, mashed potatoes, or polenta.

Ingredients

2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat and cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces

1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced peeled tomatoes

Grated zest of 2 large oranges

Juice of 1 large orange

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cups diced carrots (3 or 4)

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled

2 garlic cloves, crushed through a press

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

4 slices of lean bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbles

Steps

1.  In a 3 1/2 quart electric slow cooker, combine the chicken pieces, tomatoes with their liquid, zest of 1 orange, orange juice, tomato paste, onion, carrots, basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, garlic, and pepper; mix well.

2.  Cover and cook on the low heat setting 6 to 6 1/2 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through.  Stir in the sugar, lemon juice, and zest of the remaining orange.  Sprinkle the top of each serving with a little crumbled bacon.