Meatballs and Muffins

If you’re craving delicious, hot comfort food on a cold winter’s night, this Greek Chicken and Chickpea Stew is just what you need.

A key ingredient in Mediterranean cooking, chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans) are incredibly versatile—they feature in everything from stews and soups to salads and snacks. They’re also packed with fibre, protein, vitamins, and minerals, offering a range of health benefits, including improved digestion, heart health, and overall well-being.

This dish can take a bit of time and planning, but the effort is well worth it. What you get is tender, juicy chicken simmered with creamy chickpeas and hearty vegetables in a rich, flavourful tomato sauce. Serve it with crusty bread and a glass of wine and you’ve got the perfect winter meal.

This stew holds a special place in my heart. It’s something my mum often made during winter when I was growing up. Her version always started with dried chickpeas—soaked overnight and simmered to creamy perfection the next day.

While I still love the texture and taste of dried chickpeas, I keep a tin of high-quality chickpeas in my pantry for those (frequent!) days when I’m exhausted and forget to soak the dried ones over night.

Both dried and tinned chickpeas are healthy options but dried chickpeas tend to have better flavour, cost less, and pack more nutritional value. Just be mindful that some tinned varieties may contain added salt or preservatives.

I found the original recipe for this dish in Greece – the Cookbook byVefa Alexiadou (a renowned Greek cook and author). However, I’ve adapted it for modern life using tinned chickpeas. I’ve also provided the traditional recipe further down for you to make if you prefer.

This hearty Greek Chicken and Chickpea Stew is everything you want in a winter meal: warm, nourishing, and full of flavour. Whether you go the traditional route with dried chickpeas or opt for the shortcut with tinned, this dish is bound to become a cold-weather favourite in your home too.

Recipe using tinned chickpeas

What you need:

• 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 chicken (about 1.5kg) cut into serving pieces
• 1 large onion – grated
• 1 small leek (white part only rinse well) -finely chopped
• 1 large carrot – diced
• 2 garlic cloves – finely chopped
• 2 red capsicum – seeded and cut into 1cm squares
• 400g tinned pureed or crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons continental parsley – finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
• 400g tin chickpeas (garbanzo beans) – drained
• sea salt & ground pepper

What to do:

1. Heat the oil in a large deep pan.
2. Add the chicken and cook over a medium heat for 8-10 minutes, turning until golden brown.
3. Add the onion, leek, carrot, garlic and capsicum, cook for 5 minutes or until softened.
4. Add tomatoes, chicken stock, sugar, oregano, parsley and chilli flakes – stir through.
5. Add the chickpeas & 1 cup water.
6. Taste and adjust the seasoning by adding salt/pepper if required.
7. Simmer for 35-40 minutes until the chicken and chickpeas are tender. Serve hot.

Traditional recipe using dried chickpeas

What you need:

• 300g dried chickpeas
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 chicken (about 1.5kg) cut into serving pieces
• 1 large onion – grated
• 1 small leek (white part only rinse well) -finely chopped
• 1 large carrot – diced
• 2 garlic cloves – finely chopped
• 2 red capsicum – seeded and cut into 1cm squares
• 400g tin pureed or crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons continental parsley – finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
• sea salt & ground pepper

What to do:

1. Place dried chickpeas in a bowl, cover with cold water. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and leave to soak overnight.
2. Drain and rinse the chickpeas, and put in a saucepan. Add the vegetable stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Heat the oil in a large deep pan.
4. Add the chicken and cook over a medium heat for 8-10 minutes, turning until golden brown.
5. Add the onion, leek, carrot, garlic and capsicum, cook for 5 minutes or until softened.
6. Add tomatoes, chicken stock, sugar, oregano, parsley and chilli flakes – stir through
7. Add the chickpeas together with the cooking liquid.
8. Taste and adjust the seasoning by adding salt/pepper if required.
9. Simmer for 35-40 minutes until the chicken and chickpeas are tender. Serve hot.

Kali orexi – Vicki