Slow Cooker Chicken and Chickpea Tagine

This is a great slow cooker meal!!! I like this because the taste and texture is spot on in this recipe. I got this recipe  from Cooking Light Magazine. I did make one change. The original recipe was for 8 chicken thighs, I ended up using 6 chicken thighs...that is what fit in my slow cooker. Enjoy!

Chicken and Chickpea Tagine

 Ingredients:

1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil 
6 (5-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs, skinned
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups chopped onion 
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh garlic
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 cup unsalted chicken stock
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
2/3 cup chopped dried apricots 
2 (15-ounce) cans organic chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup cilantro leaves

Preparation:

1.  Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Sprinkle meat side of chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Add chicken to pan, meat side down; cook 5 minutes or until well browned. Remove from pan (do not brown other side).
2. Add onion and garlic to pan; sauté 4 minutes. Add cumin and next 5 ingredients (through red pepper); cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, stock, honey, and cinnamon, scraping pan to loosen browned bits; bring to a simmer. 
3. Pour mixture into a 6-quart electric slow cooker. Stir in apricots and chickpeas. Arrange chicken, browned side up, on top of chickpea mixture. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 hours. Discard cinnamon stick. Sprinkle with cilantro.