slow cooker okra and chicken tomatoes recipe is a healthy one-pot recipe that can be served any day of the week. Make this simple but tasty Southern recipe with ease in the slow cooker or Instant Pot.
Okra & tomatoes is a Southern dish that can be served as a side dish or as a meatless main dish. I added chicken to make it a complete meal from a pot.
Ingredients for this okra and tomato recipe with
- Okra chicken: Fresh okra preferred but frozen is also 100% fine to use. Especially when it’s out of season.
- Tomatoes: You can use canned or fresh, I always use canned.
- Chicken: You can use boneless or bone-in, skinless, or fur-ridden chicken thighs.
- Onion: I suggest you use a sweet onion, but at the end of the day, any onion will do.
- Bacon: While this is listed as an optional ingredient, I recommend you use it. Cooking onions in bacon will add a lot of flavor.
- Condiments: Keep it simple. The condiments for this okra and tomato recipe are simple: salt, pepper and smoked paprika.
- Hot sauce: Take this recipe to the next level with some hot sauce. Use or more or less if you want or omit everything together.
- Apple cider vinegar: This helps the okra not become viscous.
How to make chicken with okra and tomatoes
Sit back and your gadget cooks. Since this recipe is meant to be cooked in the slow cooker or Instant Pot, it is easily prepared. Especially if you use the slow cooker.
Slow cooker 1. Start by seasoning the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the seasoned chicken to the slow cooker.
2. Add diced tomatoes, broth, onion, vinegar, salt, sugar (if used), paprika, pepper and hot sauce (is being used). Stir to mix well.
3. Cover and cook in HIGH 2-3 hours or LOW 4-6.
4. When the cooking time is complete, add the okra. Cook an additional 15 minutes or until okra is hot.
What
is okra Okra is
healthy because it is rich in magnesium, vitamin A and vitamin C. Originally from Africa, okra made its appearance in the Americas due to the slave trade. Okra grows well in warm climates, which makes many southern states desirable. Okra is an edible seed pod and although okra is generally considered a vegetable, it is actually a fruit. This recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of sliced okra.
Okra is in season from summer to autumn. During this time, you should be able to find fresh okra at your local grocery store. Out of season, finding good, fresh okra can be difficult, if not expensive.
I understand that a lot of people don’t like okra because it’s viscous. Okra pods are mucilaginous, so when cooked they become sticky or viscous. Slime is not always a bad thing; it is a great thickening agent in recipes like GUMBO. Tomatoes are acidic and acidity is one way to decrease silt. This is one of the reasons okra pairs so well with tomatoes.
Frequently Asked Questions and Tips
Fresh or frozen okra Should I use
fresh or frozen okra
with this recipe? I hope you like this answer: use whatever you want. While fresh okra is always the preferred option, frozen okra is acceptable in this recipe. It is difficult to find good and fresh okra out of season. It’s winter these days, so what you see here in the pictures is 1 1/2 cups of frozen okra. Whether you’re using fresh or frozen okra, stir it in the slow cooker or Instant Pot at the end of cooking.
What kind
of tomatoes to use
This okra and tomatoes with chicken is a slow pot or instant pot recipe, so fresh or canned tomatoes work well. I use canned because they are cheap and readily available.
Which Cut of Chicken to Use Like most of my recipes, you can use your preferred cut of chicken in this recipe, whether it’s chicken thighs,
chicken breasts
, without
skin, without skin, with bone or without bone. My favorite cut is chicken thighs. Chicken thighs have more fat, which means more flavor. However, too much fat can lead to the disease heard, which is consistently one of the leading causes of death among African Americans. So… Chicken breasts also work well with this recipe! I encourage you to use the chicken cut that fits your dietary needs.
I used a 6-quart slow cooker or Instant Pot
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