This slow cooker okra & tomatoes with chicken recipe is a healthy one-pot recipe that can be served any day of the week. Make this simple yet flavorful Southern recipe with ease in the slow cooker or Instant Pot.
Okra & tomatoes is Southern dish that can be served as a side or a meatless main. I added chicken to make it a complete one-pot meal.
Ingredients For This Okra & Tomatoes with Chicken Recipe
- Okra: Fresh preferred but frozen okra is 100% okay to use as well. Especially when it’s out of season.
- Tomatoes: You can use canned or fresh, I always use canned.
- Chicken: You can use boneless or bone-in chicken thighs, skinless or skin-on.
- Onion: I suggest you use a sweet onion but at the end of the day, any onion will do.
- Bacon: While this is listed as an optional ingredient, I recommend you use it. Cooking the onions in the bacon will add a lot of flavor.
- Seasonings: Keep it simple. The seasonings for this okra & tomatoes recipe is simple: salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
- Hot Sauce: Kick this recipe up a notch with some hot sauce. Use or more or less if you want or omit it all together.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: This helps the okra from getting slimy.
How To Make Chicken with Okra and Tomatoes
Sit back and your gadget do the cooking. Since this recipe is meant to be cooked in the slow cooker or Instant Pot, it comes together easily. Especially if you use the slow cooker.
Slow Cooker 1. Start by seasoning the chicken with salt & pepper. Add the seasoned chicken to the slow cooker.
2. Add the diced tomatoes, broth, onion, vinegar, salt, sugar (if using), paprika, pepper, and hot sauce (is using). Stir to mix well.
3. Cover & cook on HIGH 2-3 hours or LOW 4-6.
4. When cook time is complete, stir in the okra. Cook an additional 15 minutes or until okra is heated through.
What Is Okra
Okra is healthy being rich in magnesium, vitamin A and vitamin C. Originally from Africa, okra made its appearance in the Americas due to the slave trade. Okra grows well in hot climates making many Southern states desirable. Okra is an edible seed pod and even though okra is usually though of as a vegetable, it’s actually a fruit. This recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of sliced okra.
Okra is in season summer through fall. During this time, you should be able to find fresh okra at your local grocery store. Out of season, finding good, fresh okra can be hard if not pricey.
I understand that a lot of people don’t like okra because it’s slimy. Okra pods are mucilaginous so when cooked they get gooey or slimy. The slime isn’t always a bad thing; it’s a great a thickening agent in recipes like GUMBO. Tomatoes are acidic and acidity is one way to lessen the slime. This is one of the reasons okra pairs so well with tomatoes.
FAQ & Tips
Fresh Or Frozen Okra
Should you use fresh or frozen okra with this recipe? I hope you like this answer – use what you want. While fresh okra is always the preferred choice, frozen is acceptable in this recipe. It’s hard to find good, fresh okra out of season. It’s currently winter so what you see here in the pics is 1 1/2 cups of frozen okra. Whether you’re using fresh or frozen okra, stir it into the slow cooker or Instant Pot at the end of cooking.
What Type Of Tomatoes To Use
This okra & tomatoes with chicken is a slow cooker or Instant Pot recipe so fresh or canned tomatoes work well. I use canned because they’re cheap and readily available.
What Cut Of Chicken To Use
Like most of my recipes, you can use your preferred cut of chicken in this recipe whether it be chicken thighs, chicken breasts, skin-on, skin-off, bone-in, or boneless. My preferred cut is chicken thighs. Chicken thighs have more fat which means more flavor. However too much fat can lead to heard disease which is consistently one of the leading causes of death amongst African-Americans. So…chicken breasts work well with this recipe too! I encourage you to use the cut of chicken that fits your dietary needs.
I used a 6-quart slow cooker or Instant Pot.
Slow Cooker Okra and& Tomatoes with Chicken
- Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen okra, sliced
- 28 ounces diced tomatoes
- 2 pounds chicken thighs
- 1 small sweet onion, diced
- 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon s salt (or more)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon sugar (omit for whole30)
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce (optional)
- 2–4 slices of bacon for garnish (optional)
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
Slow Cooker
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Cook the bacon & set aside.
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Season the chicken generously with salt & pepper. Add the chicken to the slow cooker with the diced tomatoes, broth, onion, vinegar, salt, sugar, paprika, pepper, and hot sauce if using. Stir to mix well.
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Cover & cook HIGH 2-3 hours or LOW 4-6.
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Stir in okra. Cook an additional 15 minutes or until okra is heated through. Garnish with cooked bacon before serving.
Instant Pot
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Turn on the Instant Pot to the sauté setting. When hot and the bacon. Cook 3-5 minutes or until bacon is cooked to your liking. Remove the bacon and set aside.
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Add the onion and cook 3-5 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute.
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Pour in the broth & deglaze the bottom by using a wooden spoon scrape the bottom of the Instant Pot to remove any bits that stuck to it. Make sure you scrape it well to avoid burning during cooking.
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Season the chicken generously with salt & pepper. Add the chicken, tomatoes, hot sauce, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper to the pressure cooker. Stir to mix well.
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Close lid and seal valve. Set high pressure and cook for 9 minutes.
If using boneless thighs: Cook on high for 9 minutes.
If using bone-in thighs: Cook on high for 10 minutes.
When cook time is done, quick release the pressure.
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Open the lid and turn stir the food. Turn on the Instant Pot to the sauté setting. Stir in the frozen okra. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Garnish with bacon before serving.
Notes
this will thicken as it cools
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
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Nina Nalbandian
Thursday 1st of September 2022
Hi I love using my slow cooker your recipe looks delish my question is can I use cooked rotisserie chicken instead of raw? or will it dry out? Thankyou for your advice and great blog!