Sunday, June 28, 2009

Crockpot Chicken with Chickpeas and Potatoes

Ingredients:

3 lbs chicken breast, cut in cubes
1 lg onion, diced
3 cloves garlic
3 tomatoes
2 lbs potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
grill seasoning
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp powdered coriander
1/2 tsp red pepper
1 T garam masala (or more to taste)

Directions:

In a large skillet sear chunks of chicken that you've sprinkled with grill seasoning. Drain and pour into Crockpot. Saute onion, garlic, and tomatoes until tomatoes release juice. Add chunks of potato and can of drained, rinsed chickpeas. Season with cumin, powdered coriander, red pepper, garam masala. Dump everything in the slow cooker and mix together; cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours or until the potatoes are tender and chicken cooked through.

4 comments:

  1. Thank you for this recipe!!! I JUST bought a crock pot and so I am new to the crock pot world.
    I make an amazing West Indian chicken/potato/chickpea/spinach curry but was not sure how to adapt the recipe to a crock pot...until I found this recipe of yours! (after surfing a few different times!)
    I was not sure of the cooking times, but have a better idea after finding your link. I wasn't sure if the chickpeas (from a can) should go into the crock pot at the same time as the chicken and potatoes and whether they should all cook for the same amount of time - 6 hours or so. Chick peas in a can are pretty much cooked already and 6 hours seemed like a long time for me however, I see that you add all these ingredients at the same time and I assume the chickpeas are not reduced to mush by the end of 6 hours? I am still not sure though, when to put in the spinach (not from frozen). Any ideas?
    Thanks again!
    Marilyn

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  2. Hi Marilyn,

    The chickpeas aren't really mushy after 6 hours on low...they are softer, but they still hold their shape. I haven't tried cooking them on high yet (that would be for less time, maybe 4 hours). If you don't really want them softened at all, you could add them about 1 hour before the end of the cooking time.

    Actually, all that matters is that the chicken and potatoes are cooked thoroughly. If you cut them in smaller pieces they'll be done faster, so as soon as you're sure the potatoes and chicken are as cooked as you want them to be you can shut off the crockpot. Maybe after 4 1/2 or 5 hours?

    I try to list cooking times in the 6+ hour range because I make it before I go to work.

    As to the addition of fresh spinach (great idea by the way!) I would try adding it about 20 to 30 minutes before the end, because the less you cook it the more nutrients will be retained.

    Let me know how things turn out! I'd love to see your recipe if you post it somewhere!

    Good luck!
    JoAnn

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  3. Oh thank you so much for such a quick and informative response! I was hoping you would respond soon as I'd like to try this tomorrow morning. We'll be out all day with the kids and I want to come home to a warm cooked meal!

    I will be glad to send the recipe to you, no problem. I don't have a blog or a wonderful site such as yours, I'll just send it to you. I don't actually have a "recipe" as such, and I don't think I ever make it EXACTLY the same each time -I'm still trying to figure it out. Sometimes it is not liquid enough, sometimes it is too watery. It is really tasty though, and my husband and I like ours really spicy! I'll write something down though, and send it to you.

    This method of mine is adapted from a dish I use to order at a Take-out/Restaurant in Toronto called Island Foods. They make a really wonderful "Chicken Curry Roti" and you can choose to add toppings, like spinach. I loved it so much I started to try to replicate it at home. I have to say, my version is really close to theirs!! Theirs is more of a sauce type dish that you stuff in a yummy roti...but I make mine a bit more hearty that you can eat like a stew.

    I also worked with someone who was very familiar with West Indian curries and told me her secrets – olive oil (not canola), fresh ginger, fresh thyme (lots of it!!). Anyway, I’ll send you a recipe when I get some time. I am not on a gluten free diet , but believe my recipe is!

    Here’s a link to Island Foods so you can see their dish (look under “Today’s Menu Pick” : http://www.island-foods.com/

    Anyway, thank you so much for all your info!

    One more question if I may? I don't have breast meat at home, so I will be using 4 skinless thighs tomorrow in a 4 quart crock pot. Are the cooking times the same...4-6 hours?

    Marilyn
    Toronto, Canada

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  4. Hi Marilyn,

    Glad I could help!

    I know what you mean about still working on your recipe....I'm still adjusting spice levels on this one as I've only made a couple of times.

    The cooking time should be about the same in a crockpot for thighs versus breasts....one nice thing about crockpots is that, on the low setting, it's almost impossible to overcook something! Once I left a chicken dish cooking for 12 hours instead of stopping after 8 hours as I had intended. It came out just fine! :)

    I'll be looking forward to getting the West-Indian recipe from you....it sounds fabulous! Thanks for the link to the restaurant; too bad I'm so far away from Toronto! (I'm in Southern California, LOL!)

    Take care,
    JoAnn

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