Name: Spiced Chicken Stew with Carrots
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 4 hours 10 minutes
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 8 bone-in chicken thighs (about 2 1/2 pounds total); Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper; 2 tablespoons olive oil (optional); 2 pounds carrots, cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths; 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced; 1 cinnamon stick; 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin; 1/4 cup golden raisins; 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves; 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted (optional)

Image may contain Plant Food Produce Dish and Meal

Photo by Christina Holmes

We use a slow cooker with a browning option to crisp the chicken skin for this Moroccan-flavored dish. The stew is great on its own but couscous would be an easy and fitting side dish.

Recipe notes

See Related Recipes and Cooking Tips

51 Best Slow-Cooker Recipes for Set-It-and-Forget-It Meals
Fuss-free, comforting weeknight dinners, cozy breakfasts, and anytime desserts—all from your slow cooker.
101 Ways to Cook With Almonds
They make great cakes. They make tasty bar snacks. They make perfect sense.
46 Hearty Meat Stews to Warm You Up
Comforting and filling, these dishes are even better the second day.
16 Ways We're Craving Carrots
From blistery roasted vegetables to a dense, rum-soaked cake, these recipes will make you rethink the humble carrot.
4 Hands-Free, Make-Ahead Summer Sandwiches
Don't pack away your slow cooker just yet—it has just as much love to give in the balmy days ahead.

Chicken Croquettes

Rather than breaded and fried as you might expect croquettes to be, these are something more akin to a seared chicken salad patty.

Crispy Baked Wings With Berbere Honey Glaze and Fried Garlic

Berbere is a spicy chile blend that has floral and sweet notes from coriander and cardamom, and when it’s paired with a honey glaze, it sets these wings apart from anything else you’ve ever had.

Ta’ameya (Fava Bean Fritters)

Serve these as you would falafel: in a pita, on top of a salad, or as a snack with a dip.

Smoky Tofu Shakshuka

This vegan version of the classic North African scramble uses soft silken tofu instead of eggs without any sacrifice of flavor.

Smothered Italian Sausage

This is what I call a fridge-eater recipe. The key here is getting a nice sear on the sausage and cooking the tomato down until it coats the sausage and vegetables well.

Zucchini, Pea, and Bulgur Pilaf

This fragrant salad uses bulgur wheat as its base, an endlessly versatile, slightly chewy grain that’s very popular throughout the eastern Mediterranean.

Smothered Italian Sausage

This is what I call a fridge-eater recipe. The key here is getting a nice sear on the sausage and cooking the tomato down until it coats the sausage and vegetables well.

Yogurt and Cucumber Soup

This luscious chilled yogurt soup, packed with fresh and dried mint, is an incredibly refreshing and cooling appetizer during the summer.

Recipe notes

51 Best Slow-Cooker Recipes for Set-It-and-Forget-It Meals

101 Ways to Cook With Almonds

46 Hearty Meat Stews to Warm You Up

16 Ways We're Craving Carrots

4 Hands-Free, Make-Ahead Summer Sandwiches