I use my slow cooker a lot but typically for the same recipes over and over again like beef stew, spag bol and coq au vin.

I had a little think a few days ago about how really it can be used for at least 50% of the meals I cook and it frees up my hands and time for the little ones.

So this mustard chicken and veg came about. It’s more of a summery meal than a stew or casserole. I’ve made creamy mustard chicken on the hob before now and I was also inspired by a recipe for mustard chicken in the Jack Monroe book and so I kind of threw it all together and hoped for the best.

You will see that again I’m using tinned potatoes and carrots, I do this as its far better for my budget and also easier with preparation. I’ve used tinned potatoes for years now in dishes such as this – I do use fresh for some meals. I love that with the popularity of blogs like A Girl Called Jack more people are realising how much easier and of course cheaper they are.

It worked so well. We all cleared our plates including Izzy who I’m starting to realise loves dishes like this.

Mustard Chicken and Veg – Slow Cooker Style

You will need:

3-4 chicken thighs ( you can use breasts but I prefer the flavour of thighs plus its cheaper)
400ml of chicken stock
A chunk of courgette chopped
1 tin of sliced carrots drained
1 tin of potatoes drained and chopped in half
1tbsp of flour ( I used cornflour but plain is fine)
A shake of mixed herbs -(I used a blend meant for pasta as I’d run out of fresh so it included basil/oregano)
A shake of parsley
1.5 tbsp of mustard -( I used mild French but wholegrain would be delicious)
150ml of double cream
Crushed sea salt and black pepper

Brown your thighs

Roll your thighs in the flour.

Add to the slow cooker along with all ingredients apart from cream. Turn your slow cooker on high for 5 hours.

After 5 hours use a fork to shred your chicken in the pot and stir in your cream (add a little more flour if needed to thicken).

If watching the calories it would be fine with just 50ml of cream or even none at all – just not as good.

Serve with rice or just hunks of bread.

This fed two hungry adults and one greedy toddler with leftovers. It’s also very purse friendly with the ingredients coming in at less than £4.