The Well Plated Cookbook is here! 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 laid back, 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.
Moroccan Chicken Serving Suggestions
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 Moroccan Couscous and you hit every food group in a single (crock) pot. A fantastic dessert like Lisa’s Moroccan Orange Cake recipe would be the perfect ending to the meal.
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.
More Moroccan and Chickpea Recipes
Tools Used to Make This Recipe
Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 cans reduced sodium chickpeas - (15 ounce cans), rinsed and drained
- 1 can whole tomatoes - (28 ounces), 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
Instructions
- 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.
- Stir in the nut butter. Serve over rice, quinoa, or couscous, garnished with fresh cilantro.
Notes
- I strongly recommend chicken thighs over chicken breasts in slow cooker recipes, as chicken breasts tend to dry out quickly.
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hey girl this looks so good!
This meal is gorgeous! Love the nut butter and chickpeas :)
This looks so delicious… I don’t own a slow cooker but I do have a very pretty tajine (which is Moroccan!) so I’ll be sure to remember this recipe! :)
This is so stunning! I fell in love with Moroccan food when I was there a few years ago but I haven’t tried making it home. I must try this recipe though, it looks amazing and love that it’s made in the slow cooker.
Hi Erin
Great slow cooker recipe. I did not have raisins on hand so used some dry cranberries toward the end of cooking time turned out ok not too spicy but a nice blend, thank you. Louise
Louise, I”m so happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks so much for trying it and letting me know how it turned out for you.
Sounds amazing (and looks). Love Moroccan food!
I do too Simon, thank you!
I love this!! Looks delicious. How would you be able to add in lentils and omit chicken? I imagine just increase the amount of liquid in the slow cooker??
Hi Jennifer! Since I have never tested this recipe with lentils, I honestly can’t tell you how it would turn out. I would suggest simply omitting the chicken, and you can add more chickpeas as you like. If you would like a slow cooker lentil recipe, I have one that you can check out here: https://www.wellplated.com/cauliflower-curry/
I don’t have any canned tomatoes now. Can I use a few fresh ones? Thank you.
Alla, I have never tried this recipe with fresh tomatoes, so I can’t say for certain. I do know that the liquid in the canned diced tomatoes is very important to making sure the recipe does not dry out. If you use a lot of fresh tomatoes and they are very juicy, it may work, but it would be an experiment. If you decide to try the recipe, I would love to hear how it turns out!
I would love to try this recipe, but any recipe that calls for canned tomatoes does not work for me. So I will get my fresh tomatoes and cook them down enough so I will not need the tomato paste either. This sounds so yummy especially with peanut butter at the end. Will be making this tomorrow. Thanks
Honestly, the only mistake I made with this recipe was not doubling it! So easy to make and yet nutritious. My family and friends thank you!
Debra, this makes my day! Thank you so much for trying it and leaving this wonderful review.
Did not have any golden raisins on hand so omitted. Thought it was a little bland so added cayenne pepper to spice it up a little. Thanks for the recipe:)
I’m glad you enjoyed it Barb!
Can you make this with chicken on the bone instead of boneless?
Hi Eliana, you can definitely cut the chicken off the bone and into pieces. If you are thinking you want to use whole chicken pieces, that will probably work too, but the cooking time may be a little longer to make sure they are cooked through. I’d recommend using a meat thermometer to check.
Amazing recipe! Made it tonight for the first time and my younger kids loved it! Definitely a keeper!!! Only change we did was we had to mix the chicken in to finish cooking it completely. Otherwise it turned out great!
Hooray! I’m glad it was a hit. Thanks for sharing this review, Nichole!
made this today, the whole family loved it! followed the recipe almost to the T (used white onion because we didn’t have red, and did not add the 2 tablespoons water because our crock pot tends to make already-watery dishes). we cut raw chicken thighs off the bone before putting the pieces in the crockpot, and we threw in the bone and skin to infuse flavor. definitely will make again!
Erin, thanks for taking the time to report back! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it.
This is a real crowd pleaser! Every time I have made it, I get a request for the recipe. Thanks for such an easy, healthy, delicious recipe!
I’m so happy to hear that this was a hit, Hannah! Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review!
Thank you so much for your excellent Moroccan Chicken recipe. It was so rich and delicious and unusual. Your recipes always turn out, and I always turn to you for guaranteed delicious food. Thank you Erin!
Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review, Rita! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe!
Hi there
This recipe looks awesome! How would you adjust the amounts for a 3 quart slow cooker?
Hi Aliza! I’ve only tested this recipe in a 6-quart slow cooker, so I can’t say for certain. You could try halving the recipe. If you decide to play around with it, I’d love to hear how it goes!