CrockPot Moroccan Chicken Recipe

Day 156.

I've been reading a lot of cookbooks lately, and the flavors of Moroccan food have intrigued me. I played around with ingredients I had on hand and put together a Moroccan CrockPot Chicken dish---that is good. It's not mind-blowing, but it's good. I think it needs more spice to please me, but the flavors were pronounced, and because it wasn't too spicy, I got the kids to give it a try. They particularly liked the raisins.

updated 1/12/09: I have since made and updated this recipe. The spices are now spot-on and are quite tasty. I'd recommend using chicken thighs instead of breast pieces--about 6 or so.

The Ingredients.

There are a lot. Don't freak out.

--frozen chicken pieces--the equivalent of 4 breasts

--1 cup salsa

--1/4 cup chicken broth

--2 t Tobasco sauce

--1/3 cup toasted almonds (I threw my raw almonds into the microwave for 2 minutes)

--5 cloves smashed and chopped garlic

--1/3 cup raisins (I used black, but I think golden would be better)

--2 t honey

--1 t cumin

--1/2 t cinnamon

--1/4 t chipotle chili powder

--1/2 t saffron threads

Moroccan food is traditionally served with couscous. We used quinoa.

The Directions.

Put the frozen chicken into your crockpot. If you are using fresh, this will cook awfully quickly because there isn't anything in the crock but chicken and sauce. If you are up to it, mix the spices, salsa, and broth in a separate bowl and pour evenly over the chicken. I didn't do this, and dumped everything in on top, then gave a stir when the chicken thawed a bit. Add the raisins and almonds.

Cover and cook on low for 4-8 hours. I used frozen breast tenders and because the pieces were so thin, our dinner cooked in 4 hours and was ready at noon. oops.

I served the chicken on top of saffron quinoa.

The Verdict.

I liked this, but wanted to love it. I could taste the different spices on their own, but once the chicken met the quinoa, the flavors disappeared. I think I would have liked this stuffed into a corn tortilla wrap or a pita, more than with the quinoa. When I make it again, I will increase the tobasco and the cumin. The vinegar in the tobasco gives a nice flavor that weirdly goes well with raisins.

This is a recipe I could tweak and play with for quite some time.

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Posted by: Stephanie O'Dea | A Year of Slow Cooking at June 04, 2008

Labels: chicken, crockpot, gluten free, main course,

What they say about this article

Unknown6/04/2008
I'm just praising the Lord for you right now...my crockpot is my avorite thing to cook with, but I don't have a ton of great receipies and I just found you! WHOO HOOO!!
Michelle6/04/2008
LOL at Ashley's Comment.. She's right of course..;-) it sounds so good..thanks...
Anonymous6/04/2008
your blog is educational as well as providing reading to rouse my taste buds..thank you.......i'm having fun listing and ferreting out some of the ingredients you use that i've never before heard of. there's so much good stuff out there, and you are turning me on to it.
Kristen M.6/04/2008
For the tangy taste of middle eastern food try sumac. Here is my favorite middle eastern salad recipe (alas, it cannot be made in a crockpot).
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Fatoosh/Detail.aspx
AJ6/04/2008
Add a quarter to a half cup of sliced green olives to this. If you can find it, a tsp. or so of chicken base (think boullion on steroids)would pump up the flavor as well.
jaesi6/04/2008
Ive been reading this blog for awhile and I LOVE yoru humor as well as your recipes...there are so many to try.....gotta love slow cookin.
Anjanette6/04/2008
Thanks for an excellent blog! I'm reviewing it on mine on Friday! :)
Anonymous6/05/2008
I bet after this year is over, you'll never want to use your crockpot again !!! Are you planning to have a crock bashing party?? By the way, you've got THE BEST blog on the internet. I love it !!!!
Anonymous6/07/2008
I did something similar last summer...tasted great out of the pot, but died when put on the rice.

Details at
http://jenvsatk.livejournal.com/4137.html

Love your blog...love the gluten free part.
Anonymous6/10/2008
Made this last night.Used sultanas in lieu of raisins,chicken thighs,no chicken broth or tabasco.it was soooo good.
Kelly @ The Barefoot Mama7/07/2008
AHHH! My cousin-in-law sent me your blog link and you ROCK, lady! I'm your biggest and newest fan. :o)
owlfan8/06/2008
I made this tonight and DH and I loved it. The only thing I would change is to cut up the chicken more before putting it in (or in my case, shred it part-way through as I tried, but did not succeed, in cutting up the frozen chicken breast). We served it over couscous, with a generous helping of the "sauce". Yum. Thanks.
Unknown9/10/2008
This is really good, the only thing I did was add a about a cup more water so that there was more of a sauce. I put it over rice and used 2 parts of the chicken/sauce to 1 part rice. The flavors were definitely there and I am glad I went ahead and splurged by buying the saffron, I don't think it would have been the same without it.
Anonymous6/04/2010
This will definitely be put into my slow cooker roster. Looks delish
Amanda12/19/2010
Great recipe - however the only Moroccan food "served" with couscous is couscous! Without it you would have a recipe similar to a tajine. A great spice combination for chicken; cumin, salt, white pepper, preserved lemons, ginger, garlic and onions. I do love your blog - esp the Indian recipes!
Christine D6/06/2011
Delicious! Never had used saffron before, but loved all the spices used in this recipe. Served over roasted garlic/olive oil couscous and it was amazing.