Italian-Herbed Chicken and Mozzarella Melts
Krysta
Chicken thighs are slowly cooked with Italian-style sauce and herbs, then served on crusty bread slices with olives and two savory cheeses.
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Additional Time 3 hours hrs 15 minutes mins
Total Time 3 hours hrs 35 minutes mins
Course Dinner, Main Dishes
Cuisine Italian
Servings 8
Calories 296 kcal
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 8 skinless boneless chicken thighs (about 2 pounds total)
- 2 medium green sweet peppers thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary crushed
- 1 cup bottled spaghetti sauce
- ½ cup coarsely chopped pitted Kalamata olives
- 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese 4 ounces
- ¼ cup snipped fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 8 slices whole grain Italian bread
- 8 slices Apple slices
Lightly coat a 3 1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Lightly coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook about 2 minutes or until light brown on both sides, turning once.
Place sweet peppers in prepared slow cooker. Top with chicken. Sprinkle with rosemary. Pour spaghetti sauce over chicken.
Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 1/2 to 7 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 1/4 to 3 1/2 hours.
Preheat broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil; set aside. Using a slotted spoon transfer peppers and chicken to a medium bowl, reserving cooking juices. Using two forks pull chicken apart into coarse shreds. Add olives to chicken. In a small bowl combine mozzarella cheese, basil, and Parmesan cheese.
Place bread on prepared baking sheet. Broil 4 to 5 inches from the heat for 1 to 2 minutes or until toasted. Turn over bread slices. Top each slice with some of the chicken mixture; drizzle each with about 1 tablespoon of the cooking juices. Sprinkle each with cheese mixture. Broil 1 to 2 minutes more or until toasted and cheese is melted. If desired, serve with apple.