Crock Pot Balsamic Chicken

I’ve been wanting to make this recipe for few weeks now, and I finally got around to it today.  We usually go out to eat on Friday nights, but this was actually worth staying home for.  However, it was easy enough that it would be perfect for a weekday, too! 

Start by putting 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the bottom of a Crock Pot.

Then put some chicken on top of the oil.  The recipe calls for 4-6 chicken breasts, but we really like these little chicken tenders, so I just used them.  Their small size seems to allow them to absorb more of the yummy flavors.  (I added my chicken in while it was still frozen so it wouldn't dry out since I let them cook for a while.)

Spinkle on some salt.

Shake some pepper.

Then, cut a whole onion into really thin slices.  (Sorry about the sideways picture.  I'm not sure what happened there!)

Then you need some garlic.  Put a clove on a hard surface.

Cover with the flat side of a knife, and push down on it really REALLY hard. 

When you move the knife, it will look like this, which is what you want.

Then peel off the papery skin.  Do this to 3 more cloves of garlic.

Throw all of the onions and garlic on top of the chicken. (Another sideways picture... arg!)

Then, throw in a teaspoon of dried oregano,

a teaspoon of dried rosemary,

a teaspoon of dried basil,

and a half of a teaspoon of thyme.

Pour in a half of a cup of balsamic vinegar.  Don't waste the good stuff on this... it's about to cook for at least four hours!

Pour in a can of crushed tomatoes, and cook on high for about four hours. 

In one of my usual moments of absentmindedness, I stirred everything up way too vigorously, and all of the chicken started falling apart, so I just went ahead and pulled the rest of it apart. 

Then I threw in some cooked linguini.  The recipe says to serve over angel hair, but serving mixed in with linguini was perfectly perfect, too.

Then I mixed it all up... yummy!!

Then, if you love cheese as much as I do, go ahead and cover it with cheese, even if it's just the kind in the shaker. (I used all of the good stuff last night!) ENJOY!!