Slow-Cooker Harvest Chicken & Potatoes

Here's the chicken version of that warm comforting stew we all crave in cold weather.  And let me just say, if you have never tasted the sensory symphony of chicken & thyme, you are in for an exquisite treat.  And this is just as good, or better, warmed later as leftovers.  A sweater, slippers, and a bowl of this is all you need to keep the chill out.

Slow-Cooker Harvest Chicken & Potatoes (print recipe)
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 T flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
12 ounces small new potatoes, scrubbed and halved
2 cups baby carrots, cut into thirds
2 celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
1 can (4 ounces) sliced mushrooms drained (I left this out)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried sage
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 T unsalted butter, softened

1.  In a medium-size bowl, stir together chicken, 2 T of the flour, 1/4 tsp of the salt and the pepper; add to slow cooker.  Stir in potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, mushrooms, garlic, 1/2 tsp of the thyme, the sage, and broth.  Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or on LOW for 6 hours.

2.  In a small bowl, stir together remaining 1 T flour and the butter until a paste forms.  Push the chicken and vegetables to one side and whisk paste, remaining 1/4 tsp each salt and thyme into slow cooker bowl.  Cook 1 more hour until thickened.  Makes 6 servings