You can make this quick Chicken and Chickpea Stew Recipe with tomatoes on a stove, in a slow cooker, or Instant Pot. Best of all, turn this into a healthy freezer meal (instructions included) for busy families!
Want more freezer meals? Why not check out my Instant Pot white chicken chili, crockpot buffalo chicken chili, quinoa and beef stew, or this compiled list of healthy freezer meals!
Chicken and Chickpeas Stew
I always-always tell people when asked how I manage to cook healthy while raising 2 kids and running a business, that key to success is to cook big pots of soup and stew, stir fry and other types of throw together one pot meals. Alongside Tex-Mex chicken and zucchini, Instant Pot pot roast, crockpot turkey chili, and chicken stew, is this delicious chicken and chickpea stew!
Healthy meals that are affordable because many times anything can go in that pot, quick because chop-chop and it doesn’t have to be perfect. And because you open the fridge or freezer and leftovers are staring at you!
Stew Ingredients:
Meals like ground turkey stew and soba noodle stir fry. Many days I spend working in front of the computer and taxiing boys to hockey after school, throwing dinners in 30 minutes or less in the evening.
That’s why this chicken and chickpeas stew is great, using the simplest ingredients you could only imagine:
- Boneless and skinless chicken breast (just a pound to make meat more of a side than main ingredient)
- Tomatoes (you can use canned diced)
- Quinoa and cooked chickpeas for protein and healthy carbs boost
- Bell peppers that are so in season right now
- And tahini paste. That 1/2 cup of tahini changes everything for this stew!
How to Make Chicken and Chickpea Stew
- Preheat large dutch oven on low heat, swirl a bit of avocado oil to coat and add onion and garlic.
- Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to medium, add pepper and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chicken, cook 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add tomatoes, quinoa, chickpeas, broth, salt, pepper and bay leaves; stir, cover and cook on low for 20 minutes.
- Turn off heat; add tahini and herbs, stir and let stand for a couple minutes.
How to Make a Freezer Meal
- Before freezing (slow cooker): Preheat large skillet on low heat, swirl a bit of oil to coat and add onion and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to medium, add pepper and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a gallon size resealable plastic bag with other ingredients (minus tahini and herbs) to freeze.
- Instant Pot: Freeze all ingredients (minus water/broth, tahini and herbs) in a gallon size resealable plastic bag. Cook from frozen with 2 cups water or any low sodium broth on High pressure for 20 minutes. Quick release.
- Slow cooker: Thaw in the fridge for 24 hours before cooking. Cook with 2 cups water or any low sodium broth on Low for 8 hours or on High for 4 hours.
- After cooking: Add tahini and herbs, stir and let stand for a couple minutes.
Tip: Please note this is large meal, so if you are cooking in anything other than 8 quart Instant Pot (I have one) then freeze in 2 bags or 2 containers. For 8 Quart Instant Pot, freeze the bag standing upright, then it fits and the lid will close.
Check out my full list of 20 healthy freezer meals. I’m obsessed!
More Quick Healthy Stew and Soup Recipes
- Ground turkey stew
- Instant Pot beef stew
- Healthy chicken wild rice soup
- Slow-cooker chicken lentil soup
- Slow cooker chicken noodle soup
You can also browse through my entire collection of soups and stews for more inspiration!
Chicken Chickpea Stew
Ingredients
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 3 large garlic cloves minced
- 2 lbs bell peppers seeded and coarsely chopped
- 1 lb boneless & skinless chicken breasts cubed
- Avocado oil for frying
- 1 lb tomatoes cubed or 28 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup quinoa uncooked
- 2 x 14 oz cans chickpeas rinsed & drained
- 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth low sodium
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- Ground black pepper to taste
- 3 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup tahini paste
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley or basil finely chopped
Instructions
- Stovetop: Preheat large dutch oven on low heat, swirl a bit of avocado oil to coat and add onion and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to medium, add pepper and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chicken, cook 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add tomatoes, quinoa, chickpeas, broth, salt, pepper and bay leaves; stir, cover and cook on low for 20 minutes.
- Instant Pot: Add ingredients in exact order listed: onion, garlic, bell pepper, chicken, quinoa, chickpeas, broth, salt, pepper, bay leaves and tomatoes. DO NOT STIR. Pressure cook on High for 20 minutes and afterwards release pressure with Quick Release method.
- Slow Cooker: Preheat large dutch oven on low heat, swirl a bit of avocado oil to coat and add onion and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to medium, add pepper and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Transfer to a large slow cooker along with chicken, tomatoes, quinoa, chickpeas, broth, salt, pepper, bay leaves; stir, cover and cook for 4 hours on High or 8 hours on Low.
- Last Step for All: Turn off heat; add tahini and herbs, stir and let stand for a couple minutes.
Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Freeze: Fully cook, cool completely and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw on a stovetop covered on low.
Notes
- You might need to add less salt if beans and broth you are using are not low sodium or salt free (for example, my cooked beans are unsalted).
- Before freezing (slow cooker): Preheat large skillet on low heat, swirl a bit of oil to coat and add onion and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to medium, add pepper and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a gallon size resealable plastic bag with other ingredients (minus tahini and herbs) to freeze.
- Instant Pot: Freeze all ingredients (minus water/broth, tahini ,and herbs) in a gallon size resealable plastic bag. Cook from frozen with 2 cups water or any low sodium broth on High pressure for 20 minutes. Quick release.
- Slow cooker: Thaw in the fridge for 24 hours before cooking. Cook with 2 cups water or any low sodium broth on Low for 8 hours or on High for 4 hours.
- After cooking: Add tahini and herbs, stir and let stand for a couple minutes.
Nutrition
Recipes and images are a copyright of ifoodreal.com. It is against the law to republish recipes without permission. Nutritional info is approximate.
Made this tonight as recipe. Absolutely amazing and a big hit with all. Great site. Will definitely make again
Happy to hear!:)
I’ve been looking for website with tasty, healthy recipes all in once place! I just tried the Chicken Chickpea Stew and loved it. My husband even liked it and he is not a tomato or onion person. Thanks for sharing!
Yay and welcome! So glad you found us. Yes, that’s what we are here for – tasty, healthy and EASY.
Thank you for this recipe.
I would never think of chicken and chickpeas combo. It was SO GOOD!
Hi what size pot is this 3 qt or 6? Im going to buy a Lodge one and was curious~!
Hi, Nicole. It’s 6 qt. You will love it!!!
Hi Olena. I love the look of your recipes and I cannot wait to start making them. Do you happen to know what the nutritional information for this recipe is? I have just subscribed to your recipes so I do not miss any new ones coming in. I think you are very creative – I’m afraid my imagination does not extend that far.
Hi Tracy! No sorry I don’t. I stopped counting calories for many reasons. I just eat food that I know is nourishing my body and nothing else matters.
Thank you! I enjoy cooking! Hey, we all have our strengths and weaknesses. Luckily, for you there are people like me.:)
I have not tried your recipes as yet, I am now into healthy cooking. The chickpea stew looks delicious, definitely going to make it. What is a Dutch oven please. Thank you, Sarah.
Hi Sarah. Dutch oven is the red pot in my photos – a cast iron porcelain enameled pot. It cooks food evenly. You can also use heavy bottom pot in place of the dutch oven.
This does look great and I can’t wait to try! I love chick peas and the idea of pairing them with chicken but would never have thought to do it myself. Also tahini? Brilliant! I think this dish will be so good the leftovers are going to get gobbled up all week!
My mother-in-law had a huge set of Le Creuset, Dutch. Ovens, and skillets in several sizes. looked awful inside and out. Maybe she didn’t care for,them, because the insides were stained and brown and the edges chipped, and the bottoms on the outside all discolored too. I believe she bought them in early 90’s and was done with them ten years later. I thought they’d last a lifetime.
We are making vegetables the star of our meals and meat the side now too and skipping it altogether a few days a week, opting for plant sources of protein or even eggs. Not only is healthier but buying less meat allows me to budget for all organic meats now. I love that!
Were your MIL’s cast iron pots enameled inside?
Less meat definitely helps in many ways, especially to save money.
Yes, blue outside, white inside! I’m sure she spent a fortune and even bought a fancy expensive wrought iron wrack/holder that stood in the corner next to stove with a shelf to hold each one. All clearly marked with the brand. I think before they were the ‘thing’ to own, really.
If your MILhad Le Creuset they are warrantied for life. You could take them to a store and get replacement pieces. Their cookware is amazing and if you take care of them they will last forever!
This looks fantastic. I picked up 3lbs of chicken in a package yesterday so will probably just skin in and cook it up then add it to the stew. But everything else I have in my kitchen to use right now! Love your recipes.
Yes, that would work for sure. Awe, thank you!:)
The herbs measurement is incomplete. I’m guessing you meant 1/2 cup?
Yes. Will fix that once get to my laptop.