Easy, incredibly flavorful and elegant enough to serve to guests! And if that wasn’t enticement enough, it’s a one pot wonder! Yep, this riff on braised short ribs is made in the crock pot! My girlfriend Carolyn doesn’t eat beef so I created a chicken thigh ragu just for her! She was kind enough to share it with the rest of us!
We were getting ready to hit the road for 3 months and needed something easy to make. I knew I wanted to have our friends Steve and Carolyn over for dinner before we left. A progressive dinner sounded like great fun! When you are sorting through all of your precious belongings, looking for all the essential must haves that could possibly fit into your RV, there’s not a lot of time for fancy cookery. A lovely dinner and dessert, oh yes you gotta have dessert, turned into a relaxing and tasty evening with great friends! ~ check out the Gingerbread Trifle with Spicy Pecans to see how we topped off our progressive dinner!
I know you aren’t supposed to make a recipe for the 1st time and serve it to guests. I took the chance, hoping my vision would come together, and tossed it all in the crock pot! It sure smelled terrific while it was cooking which is generally a good sign. If not, Plan B was to order Pizza, which is a favorite of Carolyn’s, so I figured I couldn’t go too wrong. Really good friends will always give you a lot of latitude because they come to see you and food is the bonus!
Oh happy day! It was as good in the pot as it was on the plate! The chicken thighs fell apart and shredded into strings of tender goodness. The sauce had a great depth of flavor and the chunks of vegetables were little surprise packages of sweetness. All of this draped over the smoothest cheesy polenta ever and we were all in heaven!
One of the great things about a crock pot meal is that you will usually have leftovers! I love leftovers! This yummy chicken ragu froze beautifully and now it will be dinner again tonight. A gift that keeps giving! What a treat to pair this with a Tobin James Sangiovese or better yet their James Gang Reserve Primitivo! Think I’ll walk across the road and pick one up!
Life doesn’t get much better than parking your RV near the vines, across the road from the tasting room at Tobin James Cellars! We are members of Harvest Hosts which provides unique overnight stops at wineries and farms across the United States and Canada. Tobin James happened to be our first Harvest Host location and we were greeted with open arms and made to feel very welcome the minute we arrived.
Ben, the manager, was openly happy to see us and have us stay on the property. He explained how much everyone at Tobin James Cellars enjoys having the members of Harvest Hosts stay with them and what great people the founders Don and Kim Greene are! 
We have always enjoyed the wines from Tobin James. But when we bellied up to the 1860’s cowboy bar and interacted with the gang pouring wine it added a playful magic to the whole tasting experience! Call us lucky, for we got to enjoy pours from so many of the gang at Tobin James that we began to feel like family! Gaetano warmly greeted us with his charming Italian accent, Chris regaled us in tales about the history of Tobin James (and it’s a great story!) and then there was Jill! She has a bubbly personality and was genuinely interested in us and in creating a great experience for us! Jill is just plain fun!
Howdy Pardner! The “Rule” at Tobin James Cellars is : “The only rule in our tasting room is….Have Fun!” No one has a problem following that rule! Fun is had by all, including those who work there! If you find yourself anywhere near Paso Robles, saddle up your horse and ride on into Tobin James and become one of the James Gang! Tasting Tobin James style will thrill all your senses!
Chicken Thigh Ragu over Cheesy Polenta
Trim the chicken thighs of any excess fat. Season with salt and pepper.
Place the olive oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, place the thighs in the pan and sear until browned on both sides but not cooked through.
Transfer the browned thighs to the slow cooker.
Time to mise en place the powerhouse of flavor! San Marzano tomatoes are from Italy and have a sweeter flavor and lower acidity. If you can find them, great! If not, substitute any whole canned tomatoes. Bogel is truly my Essential Red! How’s the quote go? “I like to cook with wine! Sometimes I even put it in the food!”
In the same pan, saute the mushrooms and onions until lightly caramelized. Add the garlic and saute 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper while cooking. Add to the slow cooker.
Squishing the tomatoes with your hands gets the perfect texture and separation. And it’s fun to play with your food! 🙂
Add the carrots, celery and remaining ingredients, except for the cilantro or parsley, to the slow cooker. Combine corn starch and chicken broth and mix until diluted and add to crock pot. Cook on low for 6-7 hours.
Shred the chicken thigh meat and return to the slow cooker. Continue cooking another 20-30 minutes.
Serve over cheesy polenta and sprinkle with chopped cilantro or parsley.
Cheesy Polenta
Simple ingredients that transform into the most wonderful side dish in a snap!
In a large sauce pan, heat 4 cups of water to boiling. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal so that lumps don’t form.
Reduce the heat to medium while continuing to whisk and cook the cornmeal for 4-5 minutes until it is tender and creamy. Be careful because the hot cornmeal will bubble up and can pop out of the pot. Reduce the heat if this happens.
Add the No Salt Seasoning and butter and stir to combine.
Add the cheese and stir to combine.
The polenta should fall into creamy ribbons. Taste for salt and pepper adjustments.
- 5-6 pounds of chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound cremini mushrooms, rough chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, large dice
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 4 organic carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 rounds
- 3 stalks of celery including the leaves, large dice
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 8 oz tomato sauce
- 1 - 28 ounce can whole San Marzano plum tomatoes, including juice
- 2 cups red wine
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 6 sprigs of fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped for garnish
- salt & pepper to taste
- Trim the chicken thighs of any excess fat. Season with salt and pepper.
- Place the olive oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, place the thighs in the pan and sear until browned on both sides but not cooked through.
- Transfer the browned thighs to the slow cooker.
- In the same pan, saute the mushrooms and onions until lightly caramelized. Add the garlic and saute 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper while cooking. Add to the slow cooker.
- Add the carrots, celery and remaining ingredients, except for the cilantro or parsley, to the slow cooker. Combine corn starch and chicken broth and mix until diluted and add to crock pot. Cook on low for 6-7 hours.
- Shred the chicken thigh meat and return to the slow cooker. Continue cooking another 20-30 minutes.
- Serve over cheesy polenta and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 4 cups chicken broth or water or 1/2 and 1/2 of each
- 1/2 teaspoon No Salt Seasoning (like Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute or Mrs Dash)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3/4 – 1 cup shredded Mexican style cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
- In a large sauce pan, heat 4 cups of water to boiling. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal so that lumps don’t form.
- Reduce the heat to medium while continuing to whisk and cook the cornmeal for 6-8 minutes until it is tender and creamy. Be careful because the hot cornmeal will bubble up and can pop out of the pot. Reduce the heat if this happens.
- Add the No Salt Seasoning and butter and stir to combine.
- Add the cheese and stir to combine. Taste for salt and pepper adjustments.
Alright alright alright! That’s exactly what I needed!