Something a Little Different for the Slow Cooker

Do you know what is irritating? When you have everything but one ingredient for a recipe, so you go to the store for that ingredient...and then you forget to use it in the recipe. Ha ha! That's what I did with this recipe. I bought golden raisins because it was the only thing I was missing...and then I forgot to use them. I really liked it and thought it tasted good, but I thought, "This might be missing something..." I realized what it was missing the next day. I added the raisins to the leftovers, and it was very nice.


What I learned is that this dish is great with the raisins, but if you leave them out, it won't be the end of the world either. Ha ha! Besides, I love golden raisins. They will make a good snack for me.

Spiced Chicken Stew with Carrots

Ingredients:

2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
8 skinless chicken thighs (about 2 1/2 pounds total) or 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted, if desired
Chicken broth, optional (see notes below)
Additional salt and pepper, to taste
Couscous, for serving (optional)

Directions:

Place carrots in slow cooker. In a bowl, toss together chicken, garlic, cinnamon, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; add to slow cooker. Cover, and cook on high, 4 hours (or on low, 8 hours), adding raisins 15 minutes before cooking is done.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken and carrots to a dish (remove cinnamon stick); top with cilantro and almonds. Season cooking liquid with salt and pepper; spoon over chicken. Serve with couscous, if desired.

Alternate method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use a 5-quart Dutch oven or ovenproof pot with a tight-fitting lid, adding 1 cup water. Cover, and bake until chicken is tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Proceed with the second step of the recipe.

Source: Martha Stewart Everyday Food, March 2009. You can find it here.

Notes: I like to have a lot of sauce and this doesn't really create that much liquid. So, I would suggest adding one can of chicken broth, or 1 to 2 cups of water (and perhaps a cube or two of chicken bouillon). This was very simple to throw together, and a very nice change of pace for a slow cooker meal.

Season each portion with salt and pepper to your taste.

 

Above: Don't forget the raisins! Ha ha!