The recipe I was looking at for this used both oven and stove for ages, and it was almost 90 this weekend so…nope, crock pot time! The transition worked just fine, and made a very tasty meal! There is, however, some work to be done the night before (crock pot or not), so don’t forget to give yourself that head start!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound dried white cannellini beans, sorted and rinsed (I used bumblebee beans, you can use anything similar)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage, divided
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, divided
• 3 teaspoons dried thyme leaves, divided
• 6 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 (5 1/2-pound) whole roasting chicken, giblets discarded
• white and light green parts of 1 leek, thinly sliced and well rinsed
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 quart low sodium chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 heads garlic, tops removed
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• crusty bread, to serve

The night before:

Put the beans in a large bowl and add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Let stand.

In a small bowl/ramekin, combine combine 2 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon sage, 1 tablespoon rosemary, and 2 teaspoons thyme; set aside. In another small bowl, stir together 4 teaspoons salt, and the pepper; set aside.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towel and gently loosen the skin, by sticking your hand or an upside-down spoon under the skin and moving it around to detach the connective bits but without tearing up the skin. Rub the oil mixture both on and under the skin, all over the chicken. Sprinkle the salt mixture all over the top, under the skin, and in the cavity of the chicken. Tie the legs with kitchen twine. Place on a wire rack on a baking sheet and refrigerate overnight uncovered.

When ready to cook, take out the chicken and let stand at room temp. Drain the beans. In a small pan, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil. Cook the leek and minced garlic until softened, 3-4 minutes. (In as small a pan as I used, where it wasn’t all a single layer, it took several more minutes.)

Transfer the cooked leeks to a crockpot. Add the drained beans, the broth, bay leaf, and remaining teaspoons of sage, rosemary, and thyme.

Stir everything together, then place the chicken on top. Place the two heads of garlic alongside the chicken, where they can be in the liquid too.

Cover, and turn on high heat. Cook for 4 hours.

At 4 hours, carefully remove the chicken – it will most likely be fall-apart tender. Stir the drained tomatoes, the vinegar, and as much of the remaining 2 1/2 teaspoons of salt as desired into the liquid with the beans.

Serve with crusty bread to soak up some of the liquid, and squeeze some of the garlic cloves out of the heads out on each plate as well.

Chicken with Beans and Tomatoes

Adapted from Taste of the South.

• 1 pound dried white cannellini beans, sorted and rinsed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage, divided
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, divided
• 3 teaspoons dried thyme leaves, divided
• 6 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 (5 1/2-pound) whole roasting chicken, giblets discarded
• white and light green parts of 1 leek, thinly sliced and well rinsed
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 quart low sodium chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 heads garlic, tops removed
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• crusty bread, to serve

The night before:

Put the beans in a large bowl and add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Let stand.

In a small bowl/ramekin, combine combine 2 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon sage, 1 tablespoon rosemary, and 2 teaspoons thyme; set aside. In another small bowl, stir together 4 teaspoons salt, and the pepper; set aside. Pat the chicken dry with paper towel and gently loosen the skin, by sticking your hand or an upside-down spoon under the skin and moving it around to detach the connective bits but without tearing up the skin. Rub the oil mixture both on and under the skin, all over the chicken. Sprinkle the salt mixture all over the top, under the skin, and in the cavity of the chicken. Tie the legs with kitchen twine. Place on a wire rack on a baking sheet and refrigerate overnight uncovered.

When ready to cook, take out the chicken and let stand at room temp. Drain the beans. In a small pan, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil. Cook the leek and minced garlic until softened, 3-4 minutes.

Transfer the cooked leeks to a crockpot. Add the drained beans, the broth, bay leaf, and remaining teaspoons of sage, rosemary, and thyme. Stir everything together, then place the chicken on top. Place the two heads of garlic alongside the chicken, where they can be in the liquid too. Cover, and turn on high heat. Cook for 4 hours.

At 4 hours, carefully remove the chicken – it will most likely be fall-apart tender. Stir the drained tomatoes, the vinegar, and as much of the remaining 2 1/2 teaspoons of salt as desired into the liquid with the beans. Serve with crusty bread to soak up some of the liquid.