Latin Chicken in Crockpot

Latin Chicken in Crockpot adapted from Tales from the Motherhood
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 pounds skinless chicken thighs
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
2 large sweet potatoes, cut into chunks
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1/2 yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
2 (15.5 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
1 cup hot salsa
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
3 large cloves garlic, chopped

Directions:  Heat the olive oil in a large skillet; season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cilantro over the chicken thighs; brown the chicken in the frying pan, 3 to 5 minutes each side. Or however long it takes so that your husband will fear you have undercooked the meat.

Arrange the chicken in the bottom of a slow cooker. Place the sweet potatoes, bell peppers, and black beans on top of the chicken. Mix together the chicken broth, 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, salsa, cumin, allspice, and garlic together in a bowl; pour into the slow cooker. Set slow cooker to LOW and cook for 5 hours or until the sweet potatoes are soft. I had to crank it up to high for 30 minutes at the end to get those sweet potatoes to submit.

Serve it over whatever you want, but I choose white rice and it worked well. Salt and pepper to taste. Serves about 6 hungry adults.

Here's what you'll need:

Slice up the peppers.

Cube up the sweet potatoes.

Chop up the garlic.

Roughly chop up the cilantro.

Salt and pepper the chicken thighs and then brown them in olive oil.

Sprinkle cilantro over the chicken.

Once browned, move the thighs to the bottom of a crockpot.

Add the sweet potatoes and peppers.

Drain and rinse the black beans.  Add to the crockpot.

Mix the chicken broth, salsa, garlic, cumin, allspice, and more cilantro.

Add to the crockpot.  Cook for 4-6 hours. 

Here's what you'll end up with:

Our Thoughts:
When I saw this dish I knew that it was something that I had to try.  We love sweet potatoes and anytime I can make a meal in the crockpot, it is just a bonus for me.

This dish had a sweetness from the sweet potatoes matched with spiciness from both the salsa and the cilatro.  Served over rice, this dish was awesome . . . even Kanin asked for seconds.

You could always make it hotter if you added hotter salsa, a can of chilies, or maybe even some hot sauce.

I will definitely be making this again.

Hope you enjoy!
April