Stewed Chicken and Chickpeas
Stewed Chicken and Chickpeas is a healthy, high-protein one-pot dinner with cumin, coriander, and couscous - mostly hands-off and ready in under an hour!
Servings: 4
Calories: 605kcal
Equipment
- large pot
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 4 pieces)
- 1 onion (diced)
- 2 stalks celery (diced)
- 1 carrot (diced)
- 1 tablespoon garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon ginger (minced or grated)
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 2 cups chicken broth (16 ounces; bouillon + water is fine)
- 2 cups crushed tomatoes (18 ounces)
- 4 cups chickpeas (drained, without liquid; from 2 cans)
- 1 ⅓ cup water (~10.5 ounces)
- ⅔ cup couscous (4 ounces)
- parsley or cilantro (to garnish; optional)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium to medium high heat. Add chicken breasts. Spread onion, celery, and carrots around it. Brown the chicken for 5 minutes, stirring the vegetables occasionally. Flip the chicken breasts and sear for another 5 minutes, stirring the vegetables once or twice.
- Add garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute. Stir in cumin and coriander. Add salt and broth, and scrape the browned bits from the bottom. Add tomatoes and chickpeas.
- Set and start a timer for 30 minutes. Bring to a low simmer and cook UNCOVERED, stirring occasionally. Do not let the mixture boil, or the chicken will become tough.
- After the 30 minutes are up, remove the chicken from the pan. Add water and couscous, and turn off the heat. Let the couscous hydrate for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, shred the chicken and return it to the pot.
- Serve in large bowls. Garnish with parsley or cilantro if desired.
Notes
The key to this recipe is to not boil the chicken, which will make it tough. Keep the heat low. I leave the pot uncovered to monitor how much the mixture bubbles; cooking uncovered also reduces the liquid slightly.
This dish is lightly spiced. Don't skip any of the spices, or the meal will be bland.
Make it vegetarian/vegan: saute 3 cups diced eggplant or other vegetables instead of chicken. Use vegetable broth, and simmer for 15 minutes instead of 30.
I prefer crushed tomatoes or puree over diced, for a richer broth. Tomato sauce may work, but check the ingredient labels; some brands will include flavorings like basil or green pepper, which won't go with this dish.
You can serve this over any cooked grain if you don't have couscous; just skip adding water and couscous to the pot.
To make this gluten-free, skip adding water and couscous to the pot as above, and serve over cooked gluten-free pasta. Be sure the broth and other ingredients are gluten-free. Gluten-free pasta would become mushy if cooked directly in the broth.
You can attempt to cook orzo or small pasta with the dish by adding the water with the crushed tomatoes and chickpeas, and adding orzo after the 30 minute simmer. Keep the heat on, and cook according to the package instructions. You may need extra water or cooking time. Leftovers with pasta will likely become very thick as the pasta will continue to soak up liquid.
Inspired by Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything
Calorie count calculated in MyNetDiary and is an estimate only.
Recipe revised 11/11/2025.
Nutrition
Calories: 605kcal
