Slow Cooked Harissa Chicken

Do you own a slow cooker?! No?! Well, if your answer is no, it is truly time to research and invest in one.  On your lazy winter days, these come out really handy.  One can make hearty steamy soups or slow cooked bbq chicken or even Dum aloo!

Here I have made "my" adaptation of Harissa Chicken. Harissa spice is native to Africa and Middle East. We have been going to this Moroccan restaurant in Delaware for ages now. And they make the meanest Harissa Chicken. My hubby and I have tried many versions of this recipe and even imported a homemade Harissa sauce from Morocco! No kidding!

After looking at some recipes online, I realized there are so many different ways to make Harissa sauce.  Harissa utilizes a special red chilli or the Harissa chilli. I did not Harissa chillies on hand so I just used red chilli powder. I would also recommend dry grinding red chillies and using that powder. It turned out pretty good and close to the real deal!

Ingredients:

4 chicken thighs

Marinade:
Some oil
2 tsp chopped garlic
2 tsp chopped ginger
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp caraway seeds (coarsely powdered)
Dash of paprika powder
Salt/Black pepper
3/4 cup Herdez Salsa Ranchera

Method:

Wash and pat dry really well. Season with salt and black pepper.  In a small  bowl, add oil, garlic, ginger, turmeric powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, caraway powder, paprika and salsa ranchera. Mix well and apply it to the thighs. Rub well and let sit. You will find that the mixture will leave some water.  Using a paper towel dab any water that eventually comes out.  The Salsa Ranchera I used is store bought. I am not sure if the recipe will taste same if you use other salsas. The way this salsa was ground (pasty) as opposed to chunky and it gave a similar texture to the chicken sauce as the restaurant kind.  You can either leave this marinated chicken for a few hours in the fridge and then start to cook it. If you are pressed for time, add it directly to a slow cooker on slow setting for 6 hours or so.  Every slow cooker is different, so review the settings specific to your cooker.


Note:
My chicken turned up a little watery despite adding no water to the slow cooker! If you want the sauce thicker, remove the chicken pieces out, and pour the sauce on a flat bottom pan. Turn the heat up high and let the water evaporate. We did not mind the watery sauce, actually, because it went well with the brown rice pilaf I served on the side!