Crock Pot Hot Sauce Chicken

Tonight I cooked my first real meal of the new year. I'm not actually so lazy, I was going to cook earlier in the week but forgot to thaw the meat out in time. Then yesterday, when I did have some chicken thawed out in the refrigerator, my husband and I were both sick so of course I did not make dinner, or anything really. However, I feel that I owe the whole week's failure of kitchen savvy to tonight's delicious meal. I also owe it to my one past relationship before I met Mr. Wonderful, because without that relationship, I would not have gotten the simple recipe that led to the incredible meal I made tonight.

Rainbow had a sale on select chicken this week, for 99 cents a pound, so we went over there and stocked up on chicken thighs, so naturally we will be eating quite a lot of chicken in the next few weeks. When thinking of what to make tonight, I went back to a recipe for hot wings that my ex-boyfriend's sister gave to me. The only regret I had after breaking up with my ex was that I wouldn't get to eat his mother's cooking anymore, and she was a fantastic cook. Well, today I decided to start with that recipe and spruce it up so it was crock pot friendly (and a little easier on the taste buds).

I tried to get pictures, but the lighting in our apartment just doesn't cut it, and I refuse to post sub-par pictures for this incredible meal. My camera just can't handle the demands I put upon it, and despite my pleas and hint dropping to all family members to pool money and get me a nice new camera, I'm stuck with the one I got around five years ago. Camera aside, I will now give you the recipe. Please remember that I rarely measure things when I'm just making it up as I go along; I tend to have a pretty good eye for how much to use of each ingredient and only measure when really unsure.

Crock Pot Hot Sauce Chicken:

Ingredients: 2-4 chicken thighs, one stick butter (no substitutes), crystal hot sauce - to taste, 1/2 cup water, crushed red pepper, salt, black pepper, garlic, 1/2 tsp thyme, lemon zest.

Instructions: Heat whole stick of butter in a dish or bowl until entirely melted. Add Crystal hot sauce to taste, more is better, but too much can be, well, too much (it's pretty spicy). Add water to crock pot, then place the chicken thighs in water. Pour hot sauce mixture evenly over and around thighs. Sprinkle in salt, pepper, lemon zest, thyme, and garlic over top of chicken, covering lightly. Set crock pot on high for 6 hrs. Serve with sides of choice.

We had au gratin potatoes with our chicken tonight, which was delightful, but I also thought that baked potatoes, fries, or couscous would have been very good as well. And of course, don't forget a veggie!

My husband kept commenting on how tender and moist the chicken was, which isn't always easy to get using a crock pot. We both also liked how well the flavor really penetrated through the chicken and saturated it all the way through. It was overall a terrific meal, and I am very proud of myself, I can't deny.

I hope you will try this and enjoy =)