Carribbean Chicken

This is one of the best dishes I have made in a slow-cooker in a long time. It has a great flavor profile along with just the right amount of richness from the coconut milk. If you don't like spicy food just leave out the adobo sauce. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 1/2 tsp coriander

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp sugar

3/4 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp cloves

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 TBS cooking oil

1/2 cup onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups chicken broth

1 TBS adobo sauce or 1 chipotle pepper, minced

1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup coconut milk (lite is fine)

1/2 tsp pepper

Hot cooked rice

Fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

Directions

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat; add the onion and garlic. Cook until tender then transfer them to the slow cooker. Combine the coriander through cloves; apply the spice mixture liberally to the chicken thighs. Add the chicken to the hot skillet; cook approximately 3-4 minutes per side (chicken does not need to be cooked all the way through). Transfer the chicken to the slow cooker. Add 1 cup broth to the skillet, scraping up any browned bits left in the pan. Pour the broth over the chicken. Add remaining broth, adobo sauce, black beans, coconut milk and pepper to the slow cooker. 

Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours. You can serve it immediately as a soup over the hot cooked rice  and sprinkled with cilantro or if you prefer something thicker (I did!) ladle the majority of the liquid into a saucepan. Mix 1 TBS cornstarch with 2 TBS of the liquid until dissolved; add the cornstrach mixture to the saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook the liquid 30-45 minutes until thickened to your desired consistency. Serve over hot rice and sprinkled with cilantro.