Italian Chicken Dinner

Frozen chicken goes straight into the slow cooker on a bed of cabbage wedges, onion rings, and mushrooms, then gets smothered in spaghetti sauce. Walk away for 10 hours and come back to tender, fall-apart chicken over vegetables that have soaked up all that tomato-y, garlicky flavor.

The tapioca stirred in with the vegetables is a clever trick. It thickens the sauce as it cooks so you end up with a rich, clingy gravy instead of a watery pool at the bottom of the pot.

Cabbage might seem like an odd choice for Italian-style cooking, but it turns silky and sweet after hours in the crockpot. It absorbs the spaghetti sauce and practically melts on your fork.

Kitchen Tips

• Use frozen chicken pieces, not thawed. Starting frozen actually helps in a long slow cook since the meat doesn’t overcook into dry shreds during those 10-12 hours.
• Quick-cooking tapioca is a must here. Regular tapioca pearls won’t dissolve properly and you’ll get gummy lumps.
• Choose a thick, meatless spaghetti sauce. Thin sauces make the whole dish watery even with the tapioca.
• Sprinkle the Parmesan on right when you plate it so it stays sharp and doesn’t melt into the sauce.

Variations

• Add Italian sausage links alongside the chicken for a heartier, meatier version.
• Swap cabbage for thick-sliced zucchini or quartered potatoes for a different vegetable base.
• Stir in a handful of fresh basil leaves after cooking for a bright, herbal finish.