Slow Cooker Chicken & Sausage Stew

If you're experiencing really cold weather like I am today, you'll want to make this soup! It's about 15 degrees here and with the wind chill, it's close to zero. Pretty darn cold if you ask me! It's hearty and the perfect way to warm up! I wish I had a bowl today but we ate it all and there was none left to freeze for lunches. With every bowl my husband ate, he just complimented me the entire time, how it was so good and I need to make it again. Oh trust me, I definitely will! Madeline even gobbled it up after she proclaimed she didn't like spinach anymore.

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 Tbsp olive oil
14 oz light smoked turkey sausage, cut into 1/2 inch rounds
2 large onions, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp dried oregano
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp flour
1/2 cup dry white wine (or chicken broth)
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 15 oz cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
12 oz bag of fresh spinach, cut into pieces (I used a box of frozen chopped spinach, but will use fresh spinach next time)

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place in the saute pan to sear all sides. Place the seared chicken pieces into the slow cooker crock.

Once all the chicken has been seared, reduce the high to medium-low and add the diced onions. Cook until they just begin to brown, approximately 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, oregano and red pepper flakes. Cook for an additional minute and then add in the 3 tablespoons of flour. Cook the mixture for one more minute and then slowly whisk in the wine (or chicken stock). Scrape any of the brown bits of the bottom of the pan. Whisk in 1 cup of the broth until smooth and then transfer this mixture to the slow cooker.

To the slow cooker, add the remaining 2 cups of chicken broth and the beans. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours until the chicken is cooked through. Skim any fat off the surface.

Stir in the sausage and spinach and cover. Allow to cook for another 10 minutes to warm the sausage and cook the spinach. If you'd like the stew to have more liquid, thin it with additional chicken broth.

Season with salt and pepper. Serve with a hunk of crusty bread.

Slightly adapted from: Confections of a Foodie Bride