Crock Pot Chicken and Pumpkin Cacciatore

The recipe was adapted from the chicken cacciatore recipe in Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann. Adapted to include - you guessed it - pumpkin!

Crock Pot Chicken and Pumpkin Cacciatore
One 32-ounce jar marinara sauce or tomato-basil spaghetti sauce or your own homemade sauce
1 medium onion, cut in half and sliced
3 cloves minced garlic
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks
1 lb diced pumpkin
6 ounces sliced mushrooms

Layer half the tomato sauce and all the onions, pumpkin, garlic, bell pepper, and chicken in the slow cooker. Sprinkle the mushrooms on top and cover with the remaining tomato sauce. Cover and cook until the chicken is tender and cooked through, 2 2/1 to 3 hours on HIGH, or 6 to 7 hours on LOW.

If you wish a thicker sauce, remove chicken and vegetables to a platter and keep warm. Whisk together 2 tbsps flour, 2 tbsps water and 2 tbsps white wine until smooth. Stir into the sauce in the cooker, turn the cooker to HIGH, cover and cook until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Pour the sauce over the chicken and vegetable and serve.