I love any recipe that involves ingredients I already have on hand. Although I'll admit I had to go out and get a bag of spinach... it was the chicken thighs in the freezer I was happy to finally be using! All 3 of my family members gave this one a high rating although the substitution of linguine for the angel hair pasta made for rather difficult fork coordination. The kids resorted to using their fingers which I allowed after watching an array of noodles fall from their utensils.
*courtesy of Family Circle magazine*
Lemony Garlic Chicken Thighs
6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
5 garlic cloves, smashed (using a large carving knife, place the blade, flat side against each clove and hit hard with your hand. Peel and set aside smashed garlic)
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup packed baby spinach leaves, chopped
8 ounces angel hair pasta
Trim chicken thighs of any excess fat. Place them in the slow cooker bowl and scatter garlic cloves over top.
In a small bowl, stir together lemon zest, juice and chicken broth. Pour half of mixture (about 1/3 cup) into slow cooker. Cover and cook for 3 hours on HIGH or 5 hours on LOW.
Remove chicken thighs to a platter and keep warm. Discard garlic cloves. In a small bowl, stir together remaining lemon juice mixture, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Whisk into slow cooker bowl with chopped spinach and cook another 30 minutes on HIGH or LOW.
Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Stir half of sauce from slow cooker bowl into pasta. Serve remainder with chicken.
