Slow Cooker Harissa Chicken

Classic chicken and roasted vegetables, made in the slow cooker and absolutely loaded with bold, spicy flavors from the Harissa!

Classic slow cooker comfort food, with the added bonus of bold Harissa paste!  Chicken, potatoes, carrots and onion slathered in a rich, spicy spice mix and slow cooked to perfection!

Tired of the same old boring chicken?  I hear you!  We eat quite a bit of chicken here in The Chunky Chef household, especially now after starting my new weight watchers blog (and finding out chicken is a zero point food!).  It’s SO versatile, yet it’s also incredibly easy to fall into cooking the same 2-3 chicken recipe over and over again.  We call it the chicken rut… and it’s real folks!

I have plenty of chicken recipes to break you out of that rut (here they are!), but this one is a new favorite!

Why is it our new favorite?  First of all, it’s incredibly easy!  After a quick sear in the skillet, everything goes in the slow cooker and it does the work for you.  Secondly, it’s a flavor-powerhouse thanks to a fantastic ingredient… Harissa paste.  Have you tried it?

WHAT IS HARISSA PASTE?

It’s a bold spice paste that hails from North Africa.  You can make your own, or pick it up at your local grocery store.  Most larger chains will carry it in either the hot sauce section or the International Foods section.  Typically harissa is made from a blend of smoked hot chile peppers, garlic, olive oil and spices, such as cumin, coriander, caraway and mint.  Harissa recipes can vary from region to region as well.

WHAT CAN I DO WITH HARISSA PASTE?

Now that I’ve tried it, I’m finding SO many great uses for this flavor-packed ingredient.  Mix some into some delicious homemade hummus, mix it into some ketchup for a fantastic burger/hot dog condiment, try it with some fried eggs, or combine some honey and lime juice and toss your chicken wings in it… the sky is the limit!

HELPFUL TIPS AND TRICKS TO MAKE SLOW COOKER HARISSA CHICKEN:

• I know it may seem weird to not add any liquid to the slow cooker, but trust me, you don’t need any.  Whatever you put into a slow cooker will give off liquid, so the chicken gives off plenty of flavorful liquid, which soak into the vegetables as they cook and gives you a luxurious sauce at the end!
• Sear first!  That gorgeous golden brown color will only come from searing the chicken.  
• Don’t care for chicken skin?  No worries, just pick up some bone-in skinless chicken thighs if your store has them, or buy regular bone-in skin on chicken thighs and remove the skin yourself.

HELPFUL TOOLS:

• 6 quart slow cooker (in photos) – I purchased this since it is so much easier to photograph foods in a white slow cooker, but it’s actually a great slow cooker!  It’s not programmable, so if that’s your thing…..
• Programmable 6 quart slow cooker – I’ve had this exact slow cooker for going on 5 years now, and it’s still going strong!  Great features and a great price too!

WANT TO TRY THIS HARISSA CHICKEN?

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Slow Cooker Harissa Chicken

4.50 from 12 votes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours

Total Time: 8 hours 15 minutes

Calories: 555

Servings: 6 servings

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Classic chicken and roasted vegetables, made in the slow cooker and absolutely loaded with bold, spicy flavors from the Harissa!

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 yellow onion, peeled and cut into wedges
• ▢ 1 1/2 lbs baby Yukon gold potatoes (or fingerling), small ones kept whole, larger ones cut in half
• ▢ 1 lb carrots, peeled and sliced into 2 inch long pieces
• ▢ 1/4 cup Harissa paste
• ▢ 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• ▢ 1 tsp garlic powder
• ▢ 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ▢ 1 tsp black pepper
• ▢ 1 tsp kosher salt, divided
• ▢ 6 bone in chicken thighs
• ▢ lemon, cut into wedges
• ▢ fresh parsley, minced, for garnish

Instructions

• To the bottom of a 6 quart slow cooker, add the Harissa paste and 1 Tbsp of the olive oil.  Add onion, potatoes, carrots and 1/2 tsp salt and stir gently to combine.
• In a small bowl, add garlic powder, smoked paprika, pepper and remaining 1/2 tsp salt.  Stir, and sprinkle evenly over chicken thighs.
• Add remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil to a large skillet and heat over MED-HIGH.  Add chicken thighs, skin side down, and cook 4-5 minutes, until golden brown.
• Place browned chicken thighs over the top of vegetables in slow cooker.  For extra harissa flavor, spoon some paste over the chicken and spread to cover. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours.  
• Serve chicken thighs with vegetables and a spoonful of cooking juices spooned over the top.  Garnish with parsley and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!

Chef Tips

If you prefer chicken things with no skin, either buy bone-IN skinless chicken thighs, or take the bone-in skin on thighs and remove the skin with a sharp knife.

Recipe adapted slightly from Cooking Light Fall 2017

Nutrition Disclaimer

The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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