This crockpot North African chicken recipe is an easy way to bring bold, Moroccan inspired flavors into your kitchen with minimal effort. A aromatic spice blend slow cooks with simple ingredients like chicken and chickpeas to create a deeply flavorful dish. Perfect for when you want to break out of your usual dinner routine and make something a little different, while still keeping things simple, affordable, and completely hands-off. Instructions to make North African chicken in the Instant Pot are also included.
Ingredients For Crock-Pot North African Chicken
- Chicken Thighs
- Ras El Hanout Seasoning
- Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)
- Onion
- Garlic
- Chicken Broth
How To Make North African Chicken In The Slow Cooker
- Add the onion, garlic, broth, and chickpeas to the slow cooker. Stir to mix well.
- Season the chicken generously all over with the ras el hanout seasoning. Add the chicken to the slow cooker.
- Cook on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours or LOW 4 to 6.
- Set Instant Pot to the high sauté setting. Once hot, add the oil and the onion. Cook stirring occasionally until soft about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute. Turn off the Instant Pot.
- Stir in 1 cup of broth. Deglaze the bottom by of the pressure cooker by scraping all the bits off off with a wooden spoon. Stir in the chickpeas.
- Season the chicken generously all over with the ras el hanout seasoning. Add the chicken to the Instant Pot.
- Close and seal vent. Select high pressure for 12 minutes. When cooking time is complete, quick release the pressure.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Easy slow cooker meal – Minimal prep, hands-off cooking
- Bold, unique flavor – Aromatic spices from the ras el hanout
- One-pot meal – Protein and legumes in one dish
- Hearty & satisfying – Filling without being heavy
- Great for meal prep – Flavors deepen over time
- Naturally gluten-free
FAQs & Tips
What is North African Chicken?
This North African chicken is a flavorful, spice driven dish inspired by the cuisines of countries like Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. Their dishes are known for using warm, aromatic spices to create rich flavor. The key ingredient in this recipe is ras el hanout, a traditional spice blend that typically includes a mix of spices like cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and paprika. This slow cooker version of North African chicken is inspired by these classic flavors.
What Cut Of Chicken To Use
While this recipe calls for chicken thighs, like a lot of my recipes, you can use any cut of chicken that you want. This can be thighs (bone-in, boneless, skin-on, skinless), legs, or even chicken breasts. Personally, I like to use bone-in, skin-on thighs.
If you use skin-on chicken, will the skin be crispy?
Unfortunately no. For crispy skin, you will need to remove the chicken from the slow cooker when it’s done and place it under the broiler in your oven for a few minutes. This is an optional step.
What is ras el hanout?
Ras el hanout is a common spice blend in North Africa that’s used on anything from meat to seafood to vegetables. You can find it online or at your local specialty store but it’s also fairly easy to make. I keep a batch in my pantry so I have it readily available.
Is this spicy?
Nope. Ras el hanout is usually mild. If you want to make this spicy, I suggest adding some cayenne or red pepper flakes.
Can you add vegetables?
Sure. Feel free to add vegetables like carrots or bell peppers.
How do you serve this?
This North African chicken recipe is best served with foods like couscous, rice, or flatbread.
How do you store leftovers?
Store leftover slow cooker North African chicken in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
What size slow cooker did you use?
I use a 6-quart slow cooker or Instant Pot for this recipe.
Ethnic Chicken Recipes
PrintCrockpot North African Chicken
This crockpot North African chicken recipe is an easy way to bring bold, Moroccan inspired flavors into your kitchen with minimal effort. A aromatic spice blend slow cooks with simple ingredients like chicken and chickpeas to create a deeply flavorful dish. Perfect for when you want to break out of your usual dinner routine and make something a little different, while still keeping things simple, affordable, and completely hands-off. Instructions to make North African chicken in the Instant Pot are also included.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 3 hours and 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken thighs
- 3 tablespoons Ras el Hanout seasoning (see below for homemade mix)
- 15 ounces canned chickpeas, drained & rinsed
- 1/2 cup chicken broth or water (use 1 full cup for the Instant Pot only)
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon oil (for Instant Pot only)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Add the onion, garlic, broth, and chickpeas to the slow cooker. Stir to mix well.
- Season the chicken generously all over with the ras el hanout seasoning. Add the chicken to the slow cooker.
- Cook on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours or LOW 4 to 6.
- Set Instant Pot to the high sauté setting. Once hot, add the oil and the onion. Cook stirring occasionally until soft about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute. Turn off the Instant Pot.
- Stir in 1 cup of broth. Deglaze the bottom by of the pressure cooker by scraping all the bits off off with a wooden spoon. Stir in the chickpeas.
- Season the chicken generously all over with the ras el hanout seasoning. Add the chicken to the Instant Pot.
- Close and seal vent. Select high pressure for 12 minutes. When cooking time is complete, quick release the pressure.
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