North African Chicken Stew

Number of servings : 4

Prep time: 15 min

Cooking time: 7 hours

Type of meal : | Main Courses | Main Courses

Special diet :

Ingredients

11⁄2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, 750 g 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, 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

Directions

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.

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.

Nutritional information:

• Type of Meal Main Courses

Type of Meal Main Courses