Chicken Ratatouille Stew
Submitted by Healy
Set-it-and-forget-it slow cooker chicken ratatouille with eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, and bell pepper in a garlicky tomato-basil sauce. Ten minutes of prep, hours of flavor.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
10 hrsREADY
10 hrsTen minutes of chopping, then the crockpot does everything else.
Cubed chicken breast, eggplant, zucchini, fresh tomatoes, bell pepper, and onion all go into the slow cooker with a jar of spaghetti sauce, garlic, basil, and oregano.
Eight to ten hours on low, and you come home to a thick, fragrant Provençal-style stew where the vegetables have melted into a rich, silky sauce and the chicken is melt-in-your-mouth tender.
Serve it over pasta, polenta, or crusty bread. Or just eat it straight from the bowl, because it’s that good.
Kitchen Tips
- Peel the eggplant before chopping. The skin can get tough and chewy after hours in the slow cooker.
- Choose a chunky, garlicky spaghetti sauce as your base. It’s doing a lot of the flavor heavy lifting here.
- Don’t stir too often if you check on it. The vegetables break down beautifully on their own, and opening the lid drops the temperature.
- This freezes like a champ. Make a double batch and stash portions for busy weeknights.
Variations
- Add a drained can of chickpeas for extra protein and a heartier stew.
- Swap chicken thighs for breasts if you prefer darker, richer meat that won’t dry out.
- Stir in a handful of torn fresh basil right before serving for a bright finish.
Ingredients
Directions
In large bowl, combine all ingredients, mix well.
Pour into 3½ to 4 qt crockpot.
Cover; cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours or until chicken is tender and no longer pink.
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