Mediterranean Chicken Stew

Ingredients

1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 3/4 inch chunks
Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
3 teaspoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (15.5 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 plum tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (2 cups)
2 tablespoons chopped, pitted kalamata olives (about 5) (can double this)
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar (don’t skip this ingredient)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (can use coriander instead)

Directions

Season the chicken with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of oil. Add chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until golden. Transfer to a plate.

Reduce heat, add the remaining teaspoon of oil to the pan. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chickpeas and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and cook over medium heat until starting to break down. Add the olives, vinegar, and chicken along with any accumulated juices to the pan. Toss until warmed through, about 1 minute. Stir in the parsley.

My Notes

I got this recipe from my friend D ages ago and forgot I had it. I used about 2 kg of chicken for this, canned whole tomatoes instead of fresh, and chicken stock instead of water. I used an entire bulb of garlic because we love it, and also chopped and fried 2 medium onions that needed to be used. I had to leave out the fresh herbs because I had none in the house but added about a teaspoon of dry parsley instead. To prepare, I fried the garlic, onion, and chicken, then tossed it into the slow cooker with the chickpeas, canned tomatoes and the rest.
Cooked it on high for 4 hours and it turned out really well! 🙂