More fast, easy and fresh with chicken...

I am working through the February Bon Appetit BA Kitchen Fast, Easy, Fresh and the next dish is Chickpea Stew. Here's the link http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/quick-recipes/2012/02/chickpea-stew. These dishes are using meat as more of an accent than the main event but they all are so flavorful and have such hearty additions that you don't miss it at all. The stew has boneless chicken thighs in it and is very rustic. It's not really a dinner party dish but would make a lovely Sunday night supper with some roasted cauliflower.

Chickpea Stew my way

1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large garlic cloves, peeled, cored and pressed
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoons tomato paste concentrate
1/4 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes
1 bay leaf
2 cups chicken stock
1 15-ounce cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 small jar Italian roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
~2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 small handfuls of country style bread, cubed
small handful flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

Heat olive oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper; add to pot and cook, turning once, until browned, 8–10 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Reduce heat to low and let oil cool for 1 minute; add garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, ~1 minute. Add cumin, tomato paste and red chili flakes; stir until a smooth paste forms, about 1 minute. Chop chicken into bite size pieces and add with any accumulated juices, bay leaves and chicken stock. Scrape up any browned bits. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, occasionally stirring, until chicken is tender, about 20 minutes.

Add garbanzo beans to pot; bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Add red peppers. Stir in lemon juice; simmer for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Divide bread cubes among bowls. Ladle stew over. Garnish with parsley.

I love cumin and chili flakes so this dish had me right there. The chicken was really flavorful as were the beans and the peppers were something alittle different. The bread cubes soaked up the sauce and lemon juice and added a nice texture. We both enjoyed this stew. It was quick and easy and as hearty as it was seemed very healthy. It was a great dish on a cold Northern CA night. Two thumbs up! Enjoy!