The slow cooker truly is the busy person’s best friend! What could be better than throwing some ingredients in a pot on your way out the door and coming home to a sensational supper? It doesn’t get much easier than this, friends!

North African Chicken Stew

•  Minimum 4-quart slow cooker

Ingredients:

11⁄2 lbs       boneless skinless chicken thighs,                     
                  cut into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces

11⁄2 tbsp     freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp          ground cumin                                                   

1⁄2 tsp         ground allspice                                                

1⁄2 tsp         cayenne pepper                                               

2                cloves garlic, minced                                        

1                red onion, chopped                                          

1                butternut or other winter squash, peeled            
                  and cubed (about 6 cups/1.5 L)

2 cups        cooked or canned chickpeas                            
                  (see page 120), drained and rinsed

1⁄2 cup        chicken broth                                                   

                  Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4                green onions, chopped                                     

                  Hot cooked couscous

                  Chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

4                lemon slices                                                     

 

1. Place chicken in slow cooker stoneware. Drizzle with lemon juice and toss chicken to coat.

2. In a small bowl, combine cumin, allspice and cayenne. Sprinkle over chicken. Arrange garlic, red onion, squash and chickpeas on top. Pour in broth.

3. Cover and cook on Low for 5 to 7 hours or on High for 21⁄2 to 4 hours, until chicken is no longer pink inside. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

4. Add green onions. Cover and cook on High for 10 minutes.

5. Ladle over couscous and garnish each serving with cilantro and lemon slices.

Makes 4 servings

With this stew, you can enjoy the flavors of North African cuisine without having to go to an exotic grocery store to buy the ingredients. Ladle it over couscous and serve it with some warm flatbread to soak up the savory sauce.

Tips

You can add a little more heat to this recipe by increasing the amount of cayenne pepper. Or you can add some hot sauce at the end of the cooking time, if you prefer to taste the level of heat before adding extra spice.

Look for precut fresh squash in the produce department of your supermarket. It will save a lot of preparation time, since the peel and seeds have already been removed. Simply cut it into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes.

Excerpted from Slow Cooker Winners by Donna-Marie Pye © 2010 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

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