Indian Chicken Stew!

Better Homes & Gardens had an insert called “All-Time Favorites 2012 Cookbook” and I immediately snatched it up. I mean, I love to cook, why not add more recipes to my arsenal? The insert is conveniently divided into sections: Appetizers, Main Dishes, Sides, and Desserts. While flipping through my mouth starts watering almost immediately. Then, this recipe jumps out at me: Indian Chicken Stew. One, I’ve never made Indian food before in my life and two, it requires a slow cooker-SOLD! I’m always excited to try new things so this was right up my alley all the way around. With this dish, I stuck exactly to the recipe measurements (normally I put my own twists on anything I cook hahaha) just to be sure I got the spices correct and such. Started prepping at 8am, got all ingredients in by 830-845ish, set it on the 10 hour setting, and let it go. If anyone doesn’t know, every time you lift the lid on your crock pot you LOSE ONE HOUR OF COOKING. Leave it be, I promise you’ll have better results.

We left the house around 10am, got home around 330pm-the house smelled A-MAZ-ING! We could smell it in our entryway downstairs hahaha. I only stirred it once, to make sure everything was nicely incorporated. The cooker automatically set to warm after the 10 hours, and I started the rice (in my awesome new rice cooker!) which took about another 30mins or so. I’ll include that recipe as well, which is sort of a rip off from Guy Fieri’s Mambo Rice but with this I made it my way, because I can. Dinner was ready to rock at 7pm…I was literally giddy with anticipation in tasting this dish! So, with all this being said *drum roll please* I present to you all, Indian Chicken Stew with Garlic/Lime/Cilantro Jasmine rice. Hope you all enjoy! (PS: you will need at least a 6-quart crock pot/slow cooker for this recipe)

 

INDIAN CHICKEN STEW (prep: 15 mins, cook time: 8-10hrs (low) or 4-5hrs (high)

2lbs skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
1   medium onion, chopped (I used a white onion)
3   cloves of garlic, minced
5   teaspoons curry powder
2   teaspoons ground ginger
1/2   teaspoon salt
1/4   teaspoon black pepper and/or cayenne pepper (I used both)
2   15-ounce cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
2   14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1   cup chicken broth
1   bay leaf
2   tablespoons lime juice
1   9-ounce package fresh spinach (optional; I didn’t use this, per boyfriends request and it was just as great I’m sure)

1.) Lightly coat a 6-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray or oil. Add chicken, onion, and garlic to the slow cooker. Add curry powder, ginger, salt, and pepper(s) to the slow cooker. Toss to coat. Stir in drained beans, undrained tomatoes, broth, and bay leaf. Cover and cook on high-heat setting 4-5 hours or low-heat setting 8-10 hours. (In my opinion, low & slow is the way to go!)

2.) Stir lime juice into cooked stew. If using spinach leaves, stir into stew and let stand 2-3 minutes to wilt.

Makes approximately 8 servings.

JL’S VERSION OF MAMBO RICE

If using a rice cooker, use the rice cooker cup to measure out your rice/liquid ratio’s. I used:

3   rice cooker cups of Jasmine Rice
6   rice cooker cups chicken broth
2-3   cloves of garlic

Cook rice according to your way or package directions if not using rice cooker. After rice was done cooking, I added:

1/2   cup fresh chopped cilantro
1/4   cup fresh squeezed lime juice

Stirred it all up, covered it up to infuse a little bit more, then served. I also added a little bit of chopped cilantro on top of my stew. EPIC STUFF.