Harissa Spiced Chicken and Vegetables

Woohoo for Wednesday! Gloomy weather and a weird work schedule have made this week a little less than fabulous for me, but that’s  just fine. I have Provincetown waiting for me at the end of the week, and the trip is always one that brings lots of fun. There’s really nothing better than time at the ocean to lift up low spirits, is there?

I’ve been trying to do more home cooking during the week since weekends are generally spent on the boat, at friends’ houses, or restaurants. Last night I warmed up the house with a slow cooker chicken with layers of flavors created with spices and one of my favorite ingredients, harissa.

The ingredients:

3 chicken breasts

1 small can of harissa (purchased from Whole Foods)

1 tablespoon each chili powder, paprika, ground ginger, granulated garlic

1 large onion, roughly chopped

8 large carrots, broken into pieces

2 cups dried apricots

I started by marinating the chicken in the spices and harissa for a few hours in my slow cooker bowl.

About three hours before dinner, I poured in a cup of water and tossed the veggies in.

I cooked the chicken and vegetables on low for a little over two hours, made sure the chicken was done, and added the dried apricots for about 20 minutes, then served. Note, I have tried to make chicken with apricots in the past and added them at the beginning, before I went to work. I arrived home to black apricots stuck to the side of the slow cooker and a completely ruined meal. Sugar + long term heat = burned

These apricots, however, had just enough time to soak up the spices and soften. I loved the sweet and spicy combination. It made for a nice, comforting meal for a gray and chilly night.

The weekend forecast is looking chilly but sunny. I am hoping for a little bit of beach time, even if I am bundled up, but any day is a good day to be at the Cape!