Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs With Olives and Fennel

This is an easy dish to make. I love the fennel in this recipe. The flavors really get soaked up in the fennel as its cooking. It takes about 4½ hours to cook, so make sure to plan for the cook time. The egg noodles can also be substituted for some rice pilaf. This recipe can also be found at gardengirlrecipes.com.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth

zest and juice from 2 oranges

2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the chicken

2½ pounds skinless, bone-in chicken thighs

1½ pounds fennel bulbs, stalks and fronds removed, bulbs cut lengthwise into thin wedges

⅓ cup coarsely chopped pitted kalamata

buttered egg noodles

In the crock of a slow cooker, whisk together the chicken broth, orange zest and juice, mustard, and measured salt.

Sprinkle the chicken all over with additional salt and add it to the slow cooker.

Add the fennel and olives to the slow cooker.

Cover and cook on the low-heat setting for 4½ hours. The chicken should be soft and cooked throughout, the fennel very tender.

About 15 minutes before the chicken is done, boil some water with salt. Add the noodles and cook until a la dente. Drain and set aside.

Spoon the chicken and fennel pieces and their juices over the buttered egg noodles and serve right away.