Sage & Thyme Garlic Lemon Chicken with Carrots and Potatoes

With the tight workday schedule, slow cooker is such a boon for me to get warm and flavorful meal ready on weeknights with minimal effort and a bit of planning-ahead.

Boneless, skinless chicken breast was marinated for about 2 hours one evening after I came back from work. Marinade: some white vinegar and Bragg liquid aminos. After finishing the evening's meal and clearing away the dishes, reading to the kids and tucking them in bed, I get to start on the next day's dinner.

Ingredients
1 boneless skinless chicken breast
1 tsp sage
1 tsp thyme
½ cup mirepoix chopped
half a lemon, cut into wedges
1 Tbsp oil
Potatoes & Carrots OR Butternut Squash & Taro Root, chunky-cut
salt to taste
2 to 3 cups chicken stock/broth as needed

1. Heat a cast-iron skillet, add some oil and allow it to heat up as well; toss in some sage, thyme, a dash of salt, and mirepoix  (chopped celery, onions, carrots, garlic); sauté
2. Add the marinated chicken breast, allow to brown on one side, flip and turn off heat and allow the chicken to sit in the hot cast iron skillet till the veggies and the slow cooker are prepped.
3. Add enough stock to the slow cooker that will immerse the chicken completely and turn it on
4. Chop carrots and potatoes into chunks; or, for an amazing combination of flavors, chop butternut squash and taro root instead
5. Place the chicken in the slow cooker, add the chopped veggies, lemon wedges, make sure there is enough stock to immerse the chicken, and leave the slow cooker on at low heat setting overnight
6. Check for doneness next morning - if the chicken is cooked, can turn off heat and let it sit till dinner time; toss in some frozen peas if preferred
7. Warm and serve with brown basmati rice or freekeh pilaf.