I am trying to avoid carbohydrates and starches as much as possible for health reasons (and not being very successful). For this reason, I like it when I happen upon a tasty looking Paleo recipe. I do not follow the Paleo diet by any means, but I do agree with some of their basic assumptions – like grains and processed vegetable oils are bad, and animal fat is good.
I liked this recipe even more when I saw that it was for the slow cooker. Loaded up with carrots, cauliflower, onion, garlic, and chicken stock – a pot of goodness!
Now, I usually don’t like chicken thighs, especially skin-on and bone-in, but I get that breasts dry out and fall apart so I followed the recipe on this one. Picking around the bone was still pretty irritating to me, but that skin that I crisped up (twice) in bacon fat? Yum city. I also threw a little fresh thyme in here because I grow it and why not?
The flavor is rich and satisfying, really great as comfort food. I will say that the proportions of this recipe as written are off. There is so little meat on these thighs that it would take 3-4 to fill someone up, especially if you don’t make some other kind of side (greens would have been so good!). And there was a huge amount of puree – I had enough leftover after serving to turn into a soup! So next time, I would double the amount of chicken and will reflect that in the recipe below.
Paleo Chicken and Carrot Cauliflower Puree
adapted from Jen’s Gone Paleo
serves 4
2 tbsp bacon grease or butter
3 lb chicken thighs (bone in, skin on – about 12 pieces)
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and sliced
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 lb carrots (or combination root vegetables), peeled and chopped
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
2 Cups Organic Chicken Broth
fresh thyme
salt and pepper, to taste
Heat the bacon grease or butter over medium high in a large pan, insert of your slow cooker (if stove-top friendly), or dutch oven (if using). Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In batches, place the chicken skin side down into the pan until the skin is browned and crisp (3-5 min); then turn over and brown the other side; set aside. Note – the chicken will not be fully cooked at this point.
Add 1 tbsp olive oil to the pan and the onions, garlic, carrots, and cauliflower. Cook the veggies over medium heat for about five minutes, season with salt and pepper, then transfer to the slow cooker if necessary. Nestle the chicken back into the veggies along with a few sprigs of thyme, then add the chicken stock.
For a dutch oven – bring to a simmer, cook for one hour over medium heat. For a slow cooker – cook for 3 hours on high setting.
Before serving, remove the chicken from the pot and set aside. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a separate saute pan over medium-high heat. Once hot add the chicken thighs in batches, skin-side down again. Cook until the skin is crisp and brown, about 3-5 minutes.
While the chicken is browning, puree the veggies with a little of the cooking liquid to create a smooth, creamy consistency. Taste for seasoning and adjust. You can puree all of them, or leave half as a more substantial side dish.
Spoon the puree onto plates and top with the chicken.