Provençal-Style Chicken Stew

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Serves 6 to 8

Cooking Time 4 to 5 hours on Low

Slow Cooker Size 5½ to 7 Quarts

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: This French-inspired dish with sun-dried tomatoes, chickpeas, and fall-apart-tender chunks of chicken may taste like you spent hours at the stove, but it can be assembled in the slow cooker and ready for dinner with little effort. We created an easy, flavorful base for our stew by microwaving chopped onions, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and herbes de Provence, which we then added to the slow cooker with chicken broth. Canned chickpeas added heartiness, and a little instant tapioca thickened the stew to the proper consistency. To keep our prep work to a minimum, we chose boneless, skinless chicken thighs, which remained moist and tender during cooking and could be simply seasoned and stirred into the stew right out of the package. Once tender, we shredded them into bite-size pieces. A handful of parsley and some briny kalamata olives stirred in at the end brightened the flavors of the stew. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

2	cups chopped onions
1	cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and chopped
2	tablespoons minced garlic
1	tablespoon olive oil
2	teaspoons herbes de Provence
4	cups chicken broth
1	(14-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed
3	tablespoons instant tapioca
4	pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
	Salt and pepper
1	cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
¼	cup minced fresh parsley or basil

1. Microwave onions, tomatoes, garlic, oil, and herbes de Provence in bowl, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes; transfer to slow cooker. Stir in broth, chickpeas, and tapioca. Season chicken with salt and pepper and nestle into slow cooker. Cover and cook until chicken is tender, 4 to 5 hours on low.

2. Using large spoon, skim excess fat from surface of stew. Break chicken into about 1-inch pieces with tongs. Stir in olives and let sit until heated through, about 2 minutes. (Adjust stew consistency with extra hot broth as needed.) Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.