Slow Cooker Chicken with Lime and Couscous

This Slow Cooker Chicken with lime and couscous recipe is so easy to make and it has a ton of flavors! It's so hearty, and loaded healthy veggies! The perfect chicken dinner for busy weeknights!

Today I am going to share one of my favorite chicken recipes, Slow cooker Chicken with lime and couscous. Cooking chicken in a slow cooker is one of my favorite cooking methods as it gives food a taste that cannot be found through other methods.

This crock-pot chicken dish uses simple ingredients that you can find in your pantry. The chicken is seasoned with a blend of paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, salt, coriander, cumin, and lime.

To make it even healthier, I added some fresh veggies, which also boosts the flavor of the lime chicken.

Now let’s talk about the preparation and cooking process.

This slow cooker chicken recipe requires a small amount of preparation. It involves chopping the garlic, slicing the veggies, and searing or browning the chicken thighs.

Browning the chicken is a crucial component of many chicken recipes. By browning the outside, you are ensuring a crispy exterior that will protect the meat underneath and provide a nice texture. It gives the dish a bit of a more complex flavor and adds some color for presentation.

I browned the chicken for about 5 minutes on each side before adding it to the slow cooker. You may skip this step, it’s entirely up to you and definitely not necessary.

The Preparation:

• Rinse chicken (if needed); pat dry with paper towels.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Drizzle the chicken with olive oil and season with salt/pepper.
• Add chicken pieces to hot oil in a single layer without crowding.
• Sear the chicken thighs for about 5-6 minutes on each side or until the skin has a nice golden brown color.

The Slow Cooking Process:

Here are some important steps to follow while cooking this chicken with lime and couscous in an instant pot.

• Place fresh vegetables on the bottom of the slow cooker.
• Combine chicken broth and white wine, pour on top of vegetables.
• Put the seared chicken thighs on top of the vegetables.
• Cover and cook for 3 hours on high heat or 6-7 hours on low heat (Or until the internal temperature should register 165 degrees F).

How to Cook the Couscous:

The first thing you may notice about this recipe is that that it has couscous. Couscous is delicious, and versatile in texture.  Couscous can be eaten as a side dish, salad, or use it in place of rice or quinoa. It also offers a wide variety of health benefits: good source of protein, fiber, and essential vitamins, such as B vitamin. On that note I should mention that I cook this recipe in two ways:

1. For heartier result: Cook the couscous together with other ingredients right inside the slow cooker
2. For less starchy results: Cook the couscous separately. Quickly rinse the cooked couscous with cold water to remove starch, then pour into the Crock- Pot® slow cooker before serving. 

Note: If you choose for option 2, you may want to cut the amount of chicken broth in half (or only ¼ cup of chicken broth)

Hope you'd enjoy this Slow Cooker Chicken with Lime and Couscous recipe! Don't forget to come back and rate this recipe!

5 from 1 vote

Slow Cooker Lime Chicken

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 3 hrs

Total Time 3 hrs

Course Main Course

Cuisine Middle East

Servings 6

Calories 177 kcal

Ingredients

 

• ▢ 6 pieces chicken thighs, skin-on (about 3 pounds)
• ▢ 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ salt/pepper for browning the chicken
• ▢ 1 cup dried Israeli Couscous

Produce/Vegetables:

• ▢ 1 cup fresh small carrots
• ▢ 1 cup fresh julienned red bell pepper
• ▢ 1 medium-sized red onion, (cut into big chunks)
• ▢ 7 cloves garlic, (finely chopped)

Spice Mixture:

• ▢ 1 teaspoon paprika
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ▢ a dash of cumin powder
• ▢ 1 large lime , (about 3 tablespoons of lime juice)
• ▢ Zest from 1 lime

Broth Base:

• ▢ ½ cup chicken broth , (Note: use only ¼ cup chicken broth if you want to cook the Israeli Couscous separately)
• ▢ 2 tablespoon dry white wine

Instructions

 

Browning the Chicken:

• Heat a skillet over medium-high heat.
• Drizzle the chicken with olive oil and season with salt/pepper.
• Sear the chicken thighs for about 5-6 minutes on each side or until the skin has a nice golden brown color.
• Transfer to a large bowl and mix in the spices mixture and lime juice. Be sure to rub mixture over both sides of the chicken.

Cooking in a Slow Cooker:

• Place fresh vegetables (bell pepper, carrots, red onion, garlic cloves): on the bottom of Crock-Pot® slow cooker.
• Combine chicken broth and white wine, pour on top of vegetables. (please see notes)
• Put the seared chicken thighs on top of the vegetables.
• Cover and Cook for 3 hours on high heat or 6-7 hours on low heat (Or until the internal temperature should register 165 degrees F)

Adding Couscous:

• Option 1: Once the chicken is fully cooked, remove the lid and add uncooked couscous into the slow cooker. Add a bit extra broth if necessary. Cover and cook for 30 minutes longer or until couscous is cooked.
• Option 2: Cook the couscous separately. Quickly rinse the cooked couscous with cold water to remove starch, then pour into the slow cooker before serving. (please see notes).

Notes

Note: If you choose for option 2, you may want to cut the amount of chicken broth in half (use only ¼ cup of chicken broth)

Nutrition

Calories: 177kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 5gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 483mgPotassium: 222mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 3908IUVitamin C: 36mgCalcium: 29mgIron: 1mg

Keyword Lime Chicken

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