Crockpot Chicken Vesuvio is an Italian meal, that is made in an oven, then finished in a large skillet, never a crockpot. Well, I’m German, and for some reason, as much as I love the creamy, rich taste of this dish, I also prefer a one-pot meal that’s quick to assemble and cooks while I’m free to do something else, outside of the kitchen. I want taste and ease, is that too much?
I’m not the only home-cook who feels that way, I’m sure.
Now that the weather’s warming, slowly, I’d like to get outside and plant flowers in my urns, give the porch and deck a good scrub, touch up paint is also required, clean my windows to let the sunshine in, and just generally NOT spend all day in the kitchen.
I looked up Chicken Vesuvio per my husband’s request, (we both love Italian anything), and I had most of the ingredients needed, but he had told me that the best part was the fresh Basil sprinkled over each serving.
I bought fresh Basil, a whole plant, and read that it required fresh parsley!
So, I used the basil in a tomato salad as a side, and dried parsley on the Chicken Vesuvio.
You can see that we were already off to a rough start! but trust me, it gets easier. I was determined to enjoy this recipe because of the taste AND the convenience offered with the preparation.
Chicken Vesuvio
Equipment
- 1 kitchen/large knife
- 1 cutting board
- 1 7-quart crockpot
- 1 large spoon to mix and stir.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts boneless and skinless, cut into strips (quartered)
- 3 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 C. low sodium chicken broth or stock
- 2 lg. onions chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, fresh and smashed
- 10 2-3" baby creamer potatoes, halved do not peal
- 8 lg. white mushrooms wipe clean and pull out caps
- 1 13 oz. bag of Birds Eye Baby Sweet Peas Frozen
- 1 block Philadelphia Cream Cheese I used Original
- 2 packets Good Seasons Italian Dressing and Recipe Mix
- 1/2 tsp salt
- ground black pepper to taste
- fresh parsley, chopped, for topping per serving
Instructions
- I used 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, that were fresh, not frozen. I cut all extra fat off of each chicken breast, cut in half, then half again, having four strips for each breast.
- With my olive oil, I drizzled a little over the bottom of the crockpot, placed my strips in a row, drizzled another tbs. or so over the chicken, added ground pepper over the chicken and a pinch of salt.
- I cut my onion into chunks, and the small potatoes into halves, after rinsing them. Layer this over the chicken strips, add sliced mushrooms and top with the garlic cloves, smashed.
- Cover the vegetables with the 2 packs of Italian Seasoning mix, and black pepper. Add enough chicken broth to cover the chicken and up to the bottom of the vegetables, Top with room temperature Cream Cheese, 1 block, cut into 8 squares or cubes and lay spaced out over the vegetables.
- Put crockpot on high for 6 hours. Keep lid on for 6 hours, lift lid, mix the cream cheese, stir slightly and add frozen peas on top. Cover the lid for another 10 minutes, stir, and serve.
- Top your servings with fresh chopped or torn parsley, and a generous sprinkle of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese!Enjoy!
- Note: The spots you see in the broth is the olive oil I used, it is not fat.Also, if you're watching your sodium intake, try one packet of seasoning mix instead of two, and I used low sodium chicken broth. The pinch of salt could probably be eliminated. You can always salt to taste before you eat it.
Notes
You’ll have to let me know if you make this or let me know how you make your own Chicken Vesuvio!
Jon and I both loved this dish. Our house was literally “delicious”, the very walls smelled so good. He came out of his office and said, “what is that? It smells amazing!” Naturally, he was thrilled when I said it was dinner, and almost ready.
Hope you give this a try!
Thanks for stopping by,
Ciao!
xx,
