Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken with Orange Rice

This recipe comes from the newest addition to my cookbook collection.  I got it from an antique store Nick and I went to a few weeks ago, despite the fact that there is nothing antique about it!  It just happened to be sitting on a table full of other cookbooks, of course I had to look through nearly the whole table until I found the perfect one.  It is the Low-Salt Cookbook from the American Heart Association.  I was paging through the recipes and found myself wanting to try nearly all of them!  Because the recipes are all about reducing the sodium in your diet, they use a variety of herbs, spices, and other flavorings....something the average American's palate is not used to!  I think this book is great at showing how easy it is to cook with herbs and spices to give flavor to dishes without adding salt.  The first recipe I made was the Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken with Orange Couscous (except I used rice instead).

The recipe looked intimidating at first with a long list of ingredients, but was fairly simple to whip up considering you just throw most of the ingredients into the crockpot and let it go! The slow cooker chicken and sauce turned out sweeter than I was anticipating, but makes sense because the recipe includes cinnamon, brown sugar, dried apricots, dried plums, raisins, balsamic vinegar, and sweet white wine (probably should use dry next time!).  At the same time it has a spicy kick because there is cayenne pepper. The other ingredients were ginger, cumin, carrot, onion, garbanzo beans, garlic, and chicken.

First start by spraying a crock pot with nonstick spray, then layering in the chopped onions and carrots (1).  On top of that layer the cubed chicken (2), and on top of that the chopped apricots, plums, and raisins (3).  Don't stir the mixture.  In a separate bowl, mix vinegar and flour until smooth, and then add the wine.  Whisk in the rest of the seasonings (brown sugar, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne pepper) and mix well. Pour this mixture over the crock pot ingredients and cover without stirring (4).

Cook on high for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or on low for 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 hours.  When the time is up, add the rinsed and drained garbanzo beans and stir.  Cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes until they are fully heated through.

In the last half hour before the crock pot is done cooking, start your rice by combining the rice, orange juice, and water in a frying pan.  Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover.  Simmer for the designated amount of time on the package.

Serve chicken mixture over a bed of orange rice.

For the full recipe and nutrition information, click HERE.

I want to share this song that I have always enjoyed from the movie Uptown Girls.  It's called "Charmed Life" by Leigh Nash.

Thanks for stopping by!