This Old-Fashioned Chicken Dish Is The Vintage Comfort Food Your Slow Cooker Was Made For
If you have a special place in your heart (and stomach) for vintage recipes such as meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and chunky slow cooker pea soup, you might be intrigued by another nostalgic meal: Chicken in milk, which became a tried-and-true dinner staple before and after the Great Depression for its minimal ingredients and easy-to-follow preparation method. This classic recipe primarily contains chicken, butter, flour, herbs, and milk and is typically prepared over the stove and in the oven, but you can simplify the process and make chicken in milk in your slow cooker.
Traditionally, flour-coated chicken is seared in fat before being baked in a covered pot with milk and herbs until tender (up to two hours). The remaining milk is then made into a rich and flavorful gravy. To easily make this dish in your slow cooker, start by searing a whole chicken or bone-in pieces dredged in flour in a hot, oiled skillet. While you can skip this step and add your chicken directly to your slow cooker, searing caramelizes and browns the chicken skin to add immeasurable flavor to your dish. Once your chicken is in the slow cooker, add milk, various herbs and seasonings, and your pan's leftover juices before cooking on the lowest setting for up to six hours.
Tasty ways to upgrade slow cooker chicken in milk
While there are several reasons chicken sheet pan dinners belong in your weekly lineup of meals, old-fashioned chicken and milk includes a delicious gravy that's hard to match. To ensure an ultra-flavorful sauce, add a variety of herbs and spices once you pour the milk into your slow cooker; feel free to use whole garlic cloves, shallots, citrus zest, and fresh herbs such as sage, thyme, and parsley.
To make this dish more well-rounded, you can also add your favorite hearty vegetables to the mix, such as chopped carrots, celery, onion, and potatoes. Leafy greens such as spinach and kale can be added to your slow cooker 15 minutes before mealtime. For an easier alternative, many of the canned ingredients that upgrade chicken pot pie can also level up your next batch of chicken and milk. Canned peas, carrots, corn, and even sun-dried tomatoes are all reliable foods that can add extra color and flavor to this nostalgic meal. Once you feel comfortable making this simplified version of chicken in milk, feel free to go one step further and prepare a basic dumpling batter. This can be added directly to your slow cooker approximately an hour and a half before mealtime.