Along with my new found interest in cooking, has come my new found love of the slow cooker.  All week I have been asking my friends for recipes to test out and make.  After much research, I opted to spend a little more and went with the All Clad Deluxe Slow Cooker.  The best feature of this one, is that you can brown in it and then slow cook.  Like others, you have to do your browning in other pans which creates more of a mess!  This is a one pot stop- literally!

For my first recipe, I opted for Martha Stewart’s Slow- Cooker Spiced Chicken Stew with Carrots.  Again, this one was super easy to make.  The only changes that I suggest, is to brown the chicken first.  This will ensure that the skin stays crispy and the juices are moist.

Ingredients

•  2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
•  8 skinless chicken thighs (about 2 1/2 pounds total)
•  1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
•  1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
•  Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted if desired
•  Couscous, for serving (optional)

Directions

1. Place carrots in slow cooker. In a bowl, toss together chicken, garlic, cinnamon, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; add to slow cooker. Cover, and cook on high, 4 hours (or on low, 8 hours), adding raisins 15 minutes before cooking is done.
2. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken and carrots to a dish (remove cinnamon stick); top with cilantro and almonds. Season cooking liquid with salt and pepper; spoon over chicken. Serve with couscous, if desired.
3. This recipce can also be made in the oven, by following these directions.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In step 1, use a 5-quart Dutch oven or ovenproof pot with a tight-fitting lid, adding 1 cup water. Cover, and bake until chicken is tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Proceed with step 2.

-Jessica Brown