Neven Maguire: Slow-cooker chicken thighs with a spicy kick

Neven Maguire is the Irish Times Food Month guest chef this week and each day he will be sharing a recipe from his latest cookbook, Midweek Meals: Simple Recipes for Easy Everyday Eating. As a chef, restaurateur and TV presenter, Maguire has a finger on the nation’s culinary pulse and has sold more than 100,000 cookbooks.

This week he will be sharing five recipes for meals that are easy to cook, and quick to prepare (or will sit happily in a slow cooker).

Slow cooker harissa chicken thighs with olives and potatoes

Harissa spice seasoning is a dry spice that imparts a depth of smoky chilli flavour that is incredibly versatile. I find myself reaching for it again and again, as it jazzes up a few simple ingredients into something special.

Serves: 4-6
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 5½ hours
Freezer friendly

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Ingredients
2tsp harissa spice seasoning
2tsp dried rosemary
1tsp dried sage
8 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
1tbsp rapeseed oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
6 carrots, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2tbsp tomato purée
600ml (1 pint) chicken stock (from a cube is fine)
500g (1lb 2oz) baby new potatoes, cut into halves or quarters (depending on size)
1 × 100g (4oz) carton or jar of pitted green olives
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To garnish: chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)

Method
1 Preheat your slow cooker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

2 Mix the harissa spice seasoning with the rosemary and sage in a shallow dish and season lightly with salt and plenty of pepper (the olives will add a natural saltiness to the dish). Use to lightly coat the chicken thighs evenly, shaking off any excess and reusing as necessary.

3 If your slow cooker has a sauté option, you can use this; if not, use a large sauté pan on the hob over a medium heat. Heat the oil, then add the seasoned chicken thighs, presentation side down. Cook for a couple of minutes, then turn over with a tongs and cook for another minute, until sealed and lightly golden. Transfer to a plate.

4 Add the onion and carrots to the slow cooker along with the garlic and tomato purée. Pour in the stock, scraping the bottom to remove any browned bits. Stir in the potatoes and olives, then using a tongs, put the chicken on top. Cover and cook on low for five hours, until the chicken and potatoes are completely tender.

5 Arrange the harissa chicken thighs with olives and potatoes in warmed shallow bowls and scatter the parsley on top (if using) to serve.

From Neven Maguire’s Midweek Meals, published by Gill Books