Slow Cooker Spiced Chicken Stew with Carrots

Adapted from epicurious.com

This recipe is in keeping with my promise to post recipes that don’t take much prep time. It has few ingredients, and not much in the way of spices, but it turned out much better than I thought it would. The original recipe only included cumin, so I added the coriander and cocoa chili powder for a bit more taste. This is cooked without any broth, but it surprisingly cooks in its own juices and improves the day after, as many stews do. Dark meat chicken remains more moist after cooking, but is higher in fat than the breast white meat.

If you don’t care for cilantro, just substitute any other herb that you prefer. And you need not add as much as the photo shows – that’s my own family’s preference! 

Ingredients:

8 bone-in chicken thighs and/or breasts (about 2 1/2 pounds total)
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil (optional)
2 pounds baby carrots
4 small round potatoes
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cocoa chili powder
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted (optional)

Directions:

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add carrots, potatoes, any other veggies you might want, garlic, cinnamon stick, and cumin to pot. Place chicken on top. Cover and cook on high until chicken is cooked through, 4 hours (or up to 8 hours on low).
2. Add raisins 15 minutes before done.
3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken and carrots to a serving dish. Remove cinnamon stick; top with cilantro and almonds. Season cooking liquid with salt and pepper. Spoon over chicken before serving.