Slow-cooked Lemon-Orange Chicken in Gravy

In my part of the country it’s been pretty hot lately. Matter of fact, this past few days has been forecasted to reach the triple digits! When it’s that hot, the last thing I want to do is turn on the oven for anything. I like the kind of recipes where you just prepare and go. This is when my slowcooker gets utilized a lot!

It’s the perfect companion for this type of weather, sometimes you use the stove-top to sear your meat, but other than that the only preparation is preparing spices and seasonings and probably cutting up some vegetables. Perfect for me!

I’ve had a busy weekend with two graduations and record high temperatures. I decided to make a tasty meal for my family that can cook away while I was busy tending to life. I opted to create a chicken recipe that had a summery feeling. Loaded with oranges and lemons as well as garlic and seasonings with a touch of sweet white wine, I felt I’d found my ideal dinner.

I was off to shop for my ingredients and needed a whole fryer chicken to separate into pieces for this meal. I decided to head over to my nearest Smart & Final located in Pleasanton, California to shop, and I found the twin pack for First Street Brand Whole frying chicken. The packaging boasted that they are 100% natural, with no artificial ingredients, no additives, no preservatives, and naturally processed. Wonderful! I picked up my twin pack and I was set to get my busy weekend started!

First Street Whole Frying Chicken will be on sale at Smart & Final for just $.89/lb beginning on June 5th! Check out your local Smart & Final and pick some up. I always love picking these up whenever I see them on sale, because they’re so versatile. You can usually make a few meals out of them, and these are great because they are part of a twin pack. If you’d like to see a variety of recipe ideas and sale items, check out the community page for Smart & Final. #ChooseSmart!

I used one chicken for my recipe and froze the other one to be used at a later time. For this recipe I used basic ingredients that I typically have on hand, and served the chicken and gravy with the roasted garlic, lemon and oranges over whole wheat spaghetti that was lightly tossed in butter and olive oil. It was a family friendly meal, that appealed to everyone.

Ingredients:

• One 4-5 pound fryer chicken, separated into legs, thighs, wings, and breast
• 3 cloves garlic, minced – plus one head garlic, peeled
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons dry thyme, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper, plus extra to season
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup sweet white wine (moscato is a good choice)
• 1-2 large lemons, cut into pieces
• 1 large orange, cut into pieces
• 1 teaspoon dry rosemary
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch