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.
Love stew? Try this chicken stew and or for hands off dinner make this chicken stew in slow cooker.
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.
Healthy meals like this chicken chickpea stew are affordable because many times anything can go in that pot. They are 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:
This chicken chickpea 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. Instant Pot chickpeas turn out so tender and buttery!
- 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
- Instant Pot chicken wild rice soup
- Slow cooker chicken noodle soup
You can also browse through my entire collection of soups and stews for more inspiration!
Chicken Chickpea Stew
Quick Chicken and Chickpea Stew Recipe with tomatoes cooked on a stove, in slow cooker or Instant Pot. Plus how to turn into a healthy freezer meal instructions for busy families. So good!
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.
Notes
- 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.
- 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
Serving: 1.5cups | Calories: 391kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 641mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 7g
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Wasn’t sure about chickpeas but what a yummy dish this turned out to be!
Thanks for another great dish 😋
Yay! Glad you liked it!
where would I find tahini paste?
and is there any substitutions for it?
Most grocery stores where I live have tahini paste. For sure, health food stores will carry it. I haven’t tried substituting it in this recipe, but a quick google search might give you some options.
This is phenomenal! Light, easy and absolutely delicious!
Can chickpeas be substituted for other beans. I only have 1 can of chickpeas now.
Sure. Cannellini beans have a similar taste to chickpeas.
1/2 cup of peanut butter to replace tahini?
What can I use to replace quinoa?
Buckwheat or maybe white rice.
Anything I can use to replace the Tahini paste?
Peanut butter.
Used 3 tablespoons of peanut butter instead of tahini didn’t have bell peppers so use celery didn’t have quinoa so use lentil beans came out great great flavor
Thank you for the recipe. I added some chilli power instead or pepper. It was delicious!
You are welcome Zarinah!
Delicious thank you! Only thing I added was a good squeeze of lemon juice?
Got mine cooking on the stove now. It smells and looks amazing, can wait to taste it!! My first time making a chickpea stew. Thank you for this recipe 🙂
You are welcome Lisa. Bon Appetit!