Spiced Chicken Stew with Carrots

This is the second time I have made this Spiced Chicken Stew with Carrots. I found the recipe months ago on the Martha Stewart website and it was such a hit in my family I decided to make it again! The Moroccan spices and golden raisins add delicious flavor to the carrots and chicken in this stew. Its warm and flavorful and makes a wonderful dinner on a cold night!

 

Recipe:

2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1 ½ inch lengths

8 skinless chicken thighs (about 2 ½ pounds total)

1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

1 cinnamon stick

½ teaspoon ground cumin

Coarse salt and ground pepper

¼ cup golden raisins

½ cup cilantro leaves

¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted if desired

1. Place carrots in slow cooker. In a bowl, toss together chicken, garlic, cinnamon, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ 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.
2. 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.

A couple notes:

This recipe doesn't include any liquid so I added just enough broth to the crock pot to cover the bottom.

I omitted sliced almonds because I didn't have any on-hand.

I slow cooked this stew for 6 hours but on high for 4 hours works just as well.

Enjoy!

Chicken and Sweet Potato Stew

Everybody loves a good crock pot meal. Easy to prepare and the food always comes out tasting delicious! I really like to cook chicken in the crock pot because the meat always turns out juicy and tender. The shallots, garlic, rosemary, and mushrooms add an abundance of flavor to the chicken in sweet potatoes in this stew. This recipe provides 6 servings so you will have leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day!

I paired this dinner with a bottle of Carmel Ridge Syrah. I discovered this winery during a recent trip to Cannery Row in Monterey. They have a newly opened tasting room so I decided to give their wines a try. I loved all of them! The grapes are locally grown in Carmel Valley and Monterey County. Support local! I specifically loved the Syrah because of its deep color and fruity aromas. The finish isn't overwhelming and it paired beautifully with the Chicken and Sweet Potato Stew.

Recipe:

6 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed, trimmed of fat

2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into spears

½ pound white button mushrooms, thinly sliced

6 large shallots, peeled and halved

4 cloves garlic, peeled

1 cup dry white wine

2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary, or ½ teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 ½ tablespoons white-wine vinegar

1. Place chicken, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, shallots, garlic, wine, rosemary, salt and pepper in a 6-quart slow cooker; stir to combine. Put the lid on and cook on low until the potatoes are tender, about 5 hours. Before serving, remove bones from the chicken, if desired, and stir in vinegar.

A couple notes:

I cooked this stew on high for 4 hours.

Enjoy!