Recipe: Savory slow-cooked chicken cacciatore

When it's so hot, the last thing I want to do is turn on the oven. But I know that I can only feed my family sandwiches and salads as the main course for so long.

So I've been trying to find more recipes for the slow cooker. It's not been entirely successful. I'm not sure if it's me or my slow cooker, but most meats I cook in there come out really dry.

I finally found success with this recipe, which I cut from the coupon circulars in the Sunday paper months ago. It comes from an ad for Swanson stock. This time, the meat came out really tender.

1 T. olive oil

3 lb. chicken parts, skin removed

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 t. Italian seasoning, crushed

1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes in puree

1 lb. mushrooms, cut in half

2 large onions, chopped

1 medium green pepper, cut into 2 inch long strips (I used frozen green and red pepper strips)

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 pkg. (16 oz.) pappardelle or fettuccine, cooked and drained. (I used egg noodles).

1. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until well browned on all sides.

2. Stir garlic, Italian seasoning, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, peppers and 1 cup stock in a 6-qt. slow cooker. Add chicken and turn to coat.

3. Cover and cook on low for seven to eight hours or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from cooker and keep warm.

4. Stir cornstarch and remaining stock in a small bowl until mixture is smooth. Stir cornstarch mixture in slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 10 minutes or until mixture boils and thickens. Serve with noodles.