Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken

It’s difficult to identify the exact moment I knew I’d found my ultimate Milwaukee dinner partners in crime, but I suspect it was somewhere between a cocktail and this recipe for Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken.

To find one’s ultimate dinner partner in crime is a particular, personal affair. For me, the ideal cohort isn’t the person whom I call when I want to check out a hot new restaurant or the pal I can always count on to split dessert.

Yes, I have and love eating out with my foodie friends, and I look forward to Friday night dinner dates with Ben. At the same time, however, I’ve found that some of the most meaningful dinners are the impromptu Tuesday nights with the friends I am comfortable enough to call at 5:45 p.m. and invite over because the crock pot meal I prepped made an extra large amount. My house (and hair) might be messy and the menu less than planned, but if that friend responds with, “I’ll be there in 15 with wine,” I know I’ve met my dream dinner compatriot.

Finding this sort of dinner relationship isn’t easy. The general busyness of life is adept at precluding spontaneous gatherings. If you’ve ever tried to plan brunch with a friend only to discover that the next free date for you both is five weeks out, you know the feeling.

It’s also not every friend who’d be enticed by your leftover Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken and Trader Joe’s Pinot Grigio.

I’m incredibly fortunate to have found my laidback, no-judgment, my-leftovers-are-your-leftovers dinner partners here in Milwaukee. When I called my friend Kate and offered to bring over a spiced wine I’d been recipe testing, and she immediately invited me to stay for a dinner that was “not fancy,” I knew I’d found my spur-of-the-moment meal match.

Since then, I’ve crashed many dinners at Kate’s house, one of which included this Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken. I loved the recipe so much, I immediately copied it down and knew I had to share it with you all.

Warmly spiced with cinnamon and cumin, sweetened with golden raisins, and protein-rich with chickpeas and juicy chicken, this Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken is comforting, filling, and addictive. Red bell peppers and tomatoes add a serving of veggies too. Serve it over a whole grain like brown rice, quinoa, or whole wheat couscous (I used this whole wheat Israeli couscous), and you hit every food group in a single (crock) pot.

Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken cooks in about two hours on high or six hours on low, but you can let it go for even longer if you have a programmable slow cooker like this one that automatically shifts to “keep warm” once the cooking time is finished. Feel free to stir in additional cumin for an extra spicy kick, or follow Kate’s advice and double the golden raisins because, “Why wouldn’t you want more golden raisins?” I like her logic.

Tools I used to make this recipe:

• 6 quart programmable slow cooker

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Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken

Made with warm spices, chickpeas, golden raisins and fresh veggies, this easy Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken recipe is delicious, healthy and budget friendly!

Yield: Serves 6

Total Time: 6 hours (on low) or 2-3 hours (on high)

Ingredients:

• 2 (15 ounce) cans reduced sodium chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• One (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 large bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 1/3 cup golden raisins
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons creamy unsalted peanut butter, almond butter, or other nut butter of choice (I used all natural peanut butter)
• Prepared brown rice, quinoa, or whole wheat couscous, for serving

Directions:

1. In the bottom of a 4 to 6-quart slow cooker, stir together the chickpeas, tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, golden raisins, tomato paste, water, cumin, cinnamon, paprika, and salt. Scatter the chicken pieces over the top. Cover and cook until the chicken is tender and cooked through, about 6-8 hours on low or 2-3 hours on high.
2. Stir in the nut butter. Serve over rice, quinoa, or couscous, garnished with fresh cilantro.

I strongly recommend chicken thighs over chicken breasts in slow cooker recipes, as chicken breasts tend to dry out quickly.

Adapted from my friends Kate and Conor, via the Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook

// All images and text ©Erin Clarke/Well Plated.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 (of 6), without rice

• Amount Per Serving:
• Calories: 340
• Total Fat: 10g
• Saturated Fat: 1g
• Cholesterol: 88mg
• Sodium: 464mg
• Carbohydrates: 37g
• Fiber: 8g
• Sugar: 12g
• Protein: 28g