On Thursday morning at the gym, I spent some time flipping through the latest issue of Cooking Light magazine while I warmed up on the elliptical. When a recipe for chickpea curry popped out at me, I dog-eared the page in the magazine because it seemed like a recipe I could adapt and make crock pot-friendly.
I wasn’t sure how the chickpeas would hold up all day in the crock pot, but since I’ve had a positive experience with canned kidney beans and black beans in the crock pot, I figured my chances were pretty darn good!
This was also my first time using garam masala, which, according to McCormick, is a sweet and aromatic blend of spices that delivers warm, exotic flavors essential to traditional Indian cooking.
I’ve seen a bunch of different recipes use the spice many, many times before and figured it was time to experiment with garam masala since so many people seem to love it! I know I’m late to the garam masala party, but after digging into this dish, I’m so glad I finally gave it a shot. The spice added hints of coriander, pepper, cumin and cinnamon to this dish and I absolutely loved the flavor.
Crock Pot Garam Masala Chicken & Chickpeas
- Cook Time: 6-8 hours
- Total Time: 20 minute
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: dinner, recipes
- Cuisine: dinner
Description
The garam masala spice added hints of coriander, pepper, cumin and cinnamon to this dish and I absolutely loved the flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups cauliflower florets
- 4 chicken thighs
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream (optional)
Instructions
- Combine chickpeas through cauliflower together in crockpot.
- Place chicken on top of chickpea mixture and spoon mixture over the chicken to cover it.
- Allow everything to cook on low for 6 – 8 hours.
- Spoon into four dishes and garnish with cilantro and a dollop of plain Greek yogurt or sour cream.
Notes
Adapted from Cooking Light’s Chickpea Curry
Keywords: chicken thighs, chickpeas, crock pot, crock pot challenge, garam masala, Recipes
Adding a dollop of plain Greek yogurt at the end gave this dish an extra pop of flavor and creaminess. Ryan and I couldn’t get enough!
I hope you enjoy!
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One of my favorite snacks is garam masala roasted chickpeas! SO ridiculously addicting.
I actually have garam masala at home that I used for one recipe I made a while ago. I definitely want to try making this! It sounds and looks incredible! 🙂
This sounds delish and so easy! Must try!!
I made this today with chicken breasts and it worked well – the chicken was tender and came apart very easily after cooking. Delicious recipe! Thanks for sharing Julie!
i’m so, so glad to hear it! thanks for reporting back!
Julie, can this spice be found easily? Like Publix..or do I need to hit whole foods? 😉
Pinned! Yum 🙂
I have had garam masala in my spice drawer for probably a year, and haven’t a CLUE what to do with it! I have no idea why I even bought it. This recipe looks great–now I’ll finally get around to using it 🙂
My parents are coming in today for a little overnight trip. I am making this for dinner. My dad LOVES this kind of food. The cauliflower is what I’m excited about! It looks delicious!!! :0) Thanks for the great recipe!
Just put this in the crockpot, and I’m looking forward to a new ready-made dish for dinner! Thanks 🙂 ps. LOVE garam masala and can’t wait to see how the flavours mingle together here!
This is in my crockpot now! I used a bag of dried chickpeas (soaked overnight) and 1 lb of chicken breasts. I’m worried because it didn’t look like enough liquid. Can’t wait to see how it turns out.
That’s great you tried it, Julie. Not only to chicken but garam masala adds that hot spicy flavour to even vegetarian dishes that we Indians prepare at home. Its a spice that’s used almost daily in our Indian kitchens. Enjoy loving it!!
Made this for dinner tonight! Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm!! And lots of leftovers, which I cant wait to dive into!! Thank you!!
I added the juice from a lime after it finished cooking – gave it a little extra “something”. YUM!
I tried this recently and it was delish! Very easy and I ate it for several days without getting sick of it. Always a win. 🙂
So happy to hear this!
Hey Julie
This looks amazing, just wondering do you think I could use broccoli instead of cauliflower??
Thanks Sarah