Slow Cooked Harissa Lentils and Chicken

Sometimes I can get carried away with titles of recipes I’ve created so that they should way more extravagant then they really are. This Slow Cooked Harissa Lentils and Chicken is no different, but just to ease some tension I’ll have you know that this tasty dish is only 10 ingredients, sorry I don’t consider salt and pepper an ingredient, and super easy to make. I think my recipe description mayhem started when I was in the restaurant industry trying to describe to the servers before service started the special dish I had created for the night. The name has to sound sexy or else why would you buy it? You wouldn’t, you would simple glance the menu and pick a regular favorite, crushing my chef ego so that it could fit under a door seal. Okay, enough about me, let’s talk about this dish! Back to school is right around the corner so I wanted to give you a super tasty, super easy to make recipe that’s a "set it and forget it" in the slow cooker. There is nothing worse as a parent than scrambling to get something on the table last minute for your family that you are proud to serve. First it starts with Bob’s Red Mill lentils. If you aren’t familiar with lentils, they are considered one of the oldest cultivated legume on earth dating back to 8,000 BC. They are often used in Mediterranean cuisine, are packed with a delicious earthy flavor, and are easy to cook. I know you don’t have to soak lentils, but it’s the old chef in me so I simply began by submerging them in water for about 10 minutes. While they are soaking, get a large sauté pan ready over medium-high heat and crisp up some chopped bacon. Try not to eat too much of it, as I know the smells are intoxicating while cooking. Once they’re crispy, set them to the side and, in the same pan with the rendered bacon fat, sear off the salt- and pepper-seasoned chicken until it’s golden brown and set aside. No need to cook them through as we will slow cook them until done. Let’s move on to the veggies. Lentils go with onions, carrots, celery, and garlic extremely well! All of those flavors combined with the cumin and mild harissa, and you will have a flavor affinity that will have your taste buds whistling. It almost has this umami flavor to it with a mild spice. It’s beyond delicious. Once you have sliced up all the veggies, combine them with the lentils, cumin, harissa, crisp cooked bacon, chicken stock, and salt and pepper. Give it a good stir to incorporate all of the seasonings and flavors, and finish by gently laying the browned chicken on top. Hit "go" on the slow cooker for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low for one tasty dish. If you are a working mom or dad, you can do this recipe two ways. You can either cook the bacon, sear the chicken and cut the vegetables the night before or the morning of. I like to do it at night so all I need to do is drop in the slow cooker in the morning and head to work without worrying about a thing. The best part? An incredibly tasty dish that you will be more than proud to share with your family. Enjoy and have a great school year!

Slow Cooked Harissa Lentils and Chicken

Serves 4 to 5

• 2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Lentils
• 8 slices Bacon, chopped
• 2 split Chicken Breasts and 2 Thighs, skin on
• 4 Carrots, medium diced
• 4 stalks of Celery, medium diced
• ½ Yellow Onion, medium diced
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 48 oz Chicken Stock
• 2 Tbsp ground Cumin
• 2 heaping Tbsp mild Harissa
• Kosher Salt and fresh cracked Pepper to taste

In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until browned and crispy. Once done, remove from the pan and set aside. Season the chicken on all sides with salt and pepper and sear on medium-high heat in the pan with the rendered bacon fat until golden brown on all sides. Set aside. In a slow cooker add the lentils, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, stock, cumin, harissa, salt and pepper, and crispy bacon and stir to combine. Lay the golden brown chicken on top of the mixture in the slow cooker, place on the lid and cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Serve hot.

Hello, I’m Billy Parisi, but to some I’m known as “Chef Billy Parisi.” I do a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but for the most part I’m a Food & Content Creator, Sometimes TV Host, Digital and Social Strategist, Influencer, Picture Taker, Coffee Drinker, Daddy, Husband, College Sports Enthusiast, Fashionisto, Film & Music Lover!

I’ve been in the kitchen since I started washing dishes in a restaurant at the age of 13, and during that time I knew immediately that I wanted to be a chef. I graduated from Arizona’s Scottsdale Culinary Institute and the University of Missouri, and have logged several years as line cook, sous chef, and executive in some of the Midwest’s finest restaurants. I currently live in the city of Chicago with my wife Lindsay and daughter Olivia and cook up new inventions, mash-ups, fusions, and twists on old classics. I’m incredibly spontaneous and outgoing, and run two small businesses, BPMVC, and my latest venture, 5 Loaves 2 Fish!