Williams-Sonoma Slow-Cooker Chicken Tagine

I started this recipe at 4:00pm today, which is quite late for a slow-cooker recipe. However, this recipe can be ready in under 3 hours (cooked on high in the slow-cooker for 2.5 hours total). This recipe didn’t take a lot of hard work, which I appreciated on a day when I had been busy and had a very minimal night’s sleep. So I was very pleased when just a couple hours later I had this delicious looking and smelling concoction ready to eat!

I was wondering how this would be any different than just baking the chicken after browning it on the stovetop and after my first bite I got the answer-tenderness! The chicken was like butter. It melted in our mouths and was full of flavor without adding any real butter. I think I should have browned the skin-side of the chicken longer in the pan because it didn’t look as crispy/brown on top as in the picture. There will definitely be a next time to perfect that. The chickpeas and tomatoes had made a very tasty sauce and I saved the leftover sauce just to dip bread into. Yum! Here’s my chicken: +Williams-Sonoma

©EverydayCookingAdventures 2012

From: Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Series, Slow Cooker, by Norman Kolpas, 2007

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

Chicken Thighs – 6
Olive Oil – 1/4 Cup
Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
Ground Cumin – 2 Tsp
Cayenne Pepper – 1 Tsp
Chicken Broth – 2 Cups
Fresh Cut Flat Leaf/Italian Parsley – 1/2 Cup
Cloves Garlic – 2 Crushed
Diced Tomatoes – 28oz Can
Lemons – 3 Cut into Quarters
Chickpeas – 15oz Can

DIRECTIONS
1. Sprinkle salt and pepper generously onto both sides of the chicken thighs. In a large frying pan, over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the chicken thighs, skin side down, and cook until golden brown about 7 – 10 min. Turn the thighs over and cook on the other side 2 – 3 minutes. Place chicken thighs in the slow cooker.

2. Pour off all but 1 TBSP of oil from the frying pan and return the pan to medium – high heat. Add the cumin and cayenne pepper and stir briefly with a wooden spoon just until fragrant. Pour in the chicken broth. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Deglaze the pan, stirring to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour the broth over the chicken in the slow cooker.

3. Add the parsley, garlic and tomatoes to the slow cooker. Tuck 4 of the lemon quarters around the chicken thighs. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 3 hours. Stir in the chickpeas and cook for 1 hour longer. Remove and discard the lemons.

4. Season the stew to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve garnished with parsley and the remaining lemon quarters over couscous or rice. TIP: Quick-cooking couscous is widely available; serve it plain, or mix in raisins, currants or toasted almonds.