Crock Pot Mint Pesto Braised Chicken

Crock pots were a genius invention! You can pretty much make anything in there. Our time is so precious and we are all so busy! It helps that the longer you cook things, the better they taste. This fresh mint chicken dish is a delicious way to get in a complete meal filled with good proteins and fiber.

Ingredients:

1 pound dried small white beans, such as flageolet
2 tablespoons avocado oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small white onion, diced
2 lemons
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper (non-iodized salt, Diamond, or Mortons brands)
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2/3 cup finely chopped dill

Place the dried beans in a large bowl and cover them with water. Soak overnight. Drain the beans and set aside.

In a pot of your choice, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook for 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until they are tender and the onion is nearly translucent. Add the drained beans and stir to make sure the beans mix with the garlic, onion, and oil. Turn off the heat.

Cook the garlic and onion as directed above, and stir in the soaked and drained beans. Transfer to a slow cooker insert. Pat the chicken dry, and lightly salt and pepper it. Lay it on top of the beans in the slow cooker. Add boiling water until it covers the beans and comes up to just below the chicken. Add the thyme sprigs on top. Cook on low setting for 8 hours or until beans are tender, then proceed with the remaining steps in recipe.

Remove the lid from the pot, and take out the chicken and put it to the side on a plate. Squeeze the first lemon onto the chicken. Remove the thyme stalks. Zest and juice the second lemon, and stir the zest and juice, along with the chopped dill fronds, into the beans. Shred or chop the chicken and place it back on top of the beans. Top with the mint pesto (recipe follows) and serve.

When serving, scoop up a spoon of beans on top of the chicken. Make sure each serving has a dollop of pesto as well (see recipe below).

Pesto: