Do you have a meal that is so intimately connected with a memory, it represents far more to you than a collection of ingredients? Fellow food lover that you are, I suspect you do. That is how I feel about this Crock Pot Moroccan Chicken.
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Warmly spiced with cinnamon and cumin, sweetened with golden raisins, and protein-rich with chickpeas and juicy chicken, this healthy crockpot chicken recipe is comforting, filling, and addictive. It’s a fantastic, easy crockpot chicken recipe you should add to your menu this week.
For me, however, it tastes something of more than warm spices: its flavor is one of warm welcome, hospitality, and a joyful night with new friends.
Despite the fact that I haven’t been to Morocco (bucket list!), Moroccan food has been a hallmark in many happy memories.
When I returned to visit my host family France nearly a decade later, my host mom cooked Ben and myself a Moroccan chicken tagine (you can find this stellar recipe in The Well Plated Cookbook).
When I first moved to Minneapolis, a new friend invited me over for Moroccan dinner night. We all sat on the floor, ate too much couscous, and laughed like we’d known each other for years instead of hours.
And most recently when I moved to Milwaukee, another couple I barely knew invited me over to share the simple, healthy meal they’d prepared for themselves that night, this slow cooker Moroccan chicken.
I asked if a) I could have the recipe and b) if I could post it publicly, because, well I have this job that’s kind of hard to explain to people when you first meet them. :)
Fortunately, they agreed and here we are!
5 Star Review
“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 —
How to Make Crockpot Moroccan Chicken
Like many of my favorite healthy crockpot chicken recipes, this one is family-friendly, easy to prep ahead, and tastes excellent leftover too.
The Ingredients
- Chicken Thighs. As with my Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken and Jerk Chicken Tacos recipes, I strongly recommend using chicken thighs. They are less likely to overcook and hold up well to the bold Moroccan flavors in this recipe.
- Chickpeas. Moroccan flavors and chickpeas are a perfect match (just ask this Moroccan Chickpea Salad). Plus, they’re packed with vitamins and fiber.
- Tomatoes + Bell Peppers. Beautiful and nutritious pops of color. The tomatoes help add rich flavor to the sauce.
- Golden Raisins. Delicious little sweet morsels and a classic ingredient in Moroccan cooking. They taste lovely beside the spices.
- Tomato Paste. Helps make the sauce taste like it’s been simmering away all day.
- Spices. Cumin, cinnamon, and paprika bring this dish to life. They’re bold (but not spicy), warm, and earthy.
- Creamy Peanut Butter. Peanut butter gives the sauce body and adds another layer of deep, complex, and nutty flavor. Not a peanut butter fan? You can use any nut butter you enjoy here.
The Directions
- Add everything but the chicken and nut butter to a slow cooker, then stir.
- Scatter the chicken over the top.
- Cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours.
- Stir in the nut butter.
- Serve as desired and ENJOY!
TIP!
Crock pot 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.
How to Serve Moroccan Chicken
Our favorite way to serve crock pot Moroccan chicken is with a delicious grain. Here are a few ideas:
- With Rice. Brown rice, white rice, or cauliflower rice would all be tasty.
- With Quinoa. The nutty flavor of quinoa would pair nicely with this dish.
- With Couscous. This chicken and Moroccan Couscous would be a fabulous pairing. For tips on cooking couscous, check out my Couscous Recipe!
Storage Tips
- To Store. Refrigerate chicken in an airtight storage container for up to 3 days.
- To Reheat. Rewarm leftover chicken in a Dutch oven on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave.
- To Freeze. Freeze leftovers in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Meal Plan Tip
Dice the chicken, tomatoes, peppers, and onion up to 1 day in advance. Store each separately in the refrigerator.
Leftover Ideas
Pile this Moroccan chicken over a bed of greens for a hearty, easy salad.
What to Serve with Moroccan Chicken
This crock pot Moroccan chicken is one of the very first recipes I shared on my blog. I hope that it leads to happy memories for you too!
Crock Pot Moroccan Chicken
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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
- ⅓ cup golden raisins
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ¼ 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.
- TO STORE: Refrigerate chicken in an airtight storage container for up to 3 days.
- TO REHEAT: Rewarm leftover chicken in a Dutch oven on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave.
- TO FREEZE: Freeze leftovers in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
For whatever it’s worth, I did make this in my Instant Pot tonight. My chicken was still slightly frozen (and I used breasts, not thighs — was just what was on hand!), but it worked great. Instead of all whole tomatoes, I used one can of crushed and one of diced, and added an extra 1/4 cup or so of water. I left the chickpeas out too, to stir in at the end with the peanut butter (and then actually decided to make a cauliflower rice-carrot-chickpea bowl and serve the chicken over that instead anyway). I cooked it all on high pressure for 15 minutes, but only because of the frozen chicken — 8 or 9 probably would have been just fine. So just a couple tweaks to make sure there’s enough liquid, and it worked perfectly!