Chicken Squash Stew

6 - 8 chicken thighs, skin removed (but put the skin in a frying pan)
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 - 3 sweet red peppers, sliced (keep seeds in you like it spicier)
1/2 cup water
1 bottle of Strongbow (or your choice) hard cider
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
2 small (or 1 large) squash (butternut is easiest to peel, or acorn squash)
1 carrot, shredded
5 - 8 whole peppercorns
Per your taste:
2 Tbs Chili Powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt

Takes time to peel the squash.

Rinse off the chicken thighs and remove the skins. Place chicken in the bottom of a large crock pot. In a frying pan, saute in the chicken fat the onions, garlic, and peppers, until soft. Put the sauteed vegies into a blender with the water and peppercorns. Puree until smooth.

Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds. Peel the squash and rinse off. Cut into small bite size pieces and place on top of chicken. Add the can of tomatoes evenly across the squash. Shred the carrot across the top. Add spices. Pour the vegie puree across the top. Finally, pour the apple cider over the mixture.

Cover and simmer on low for 6 hours.
Remove the chicken and when cool enough, remove the bone and chop into smaller pieces. Return to the crock pot, along with the can of garbanzo beans. Taste and adjust spices. Cover and cook for another 1 - 2 hours.

Feed the chicken skin to small children or begging dogs.

Serving Size: Serving Size estimated; about 12 servings in crock pot

Number of Servings: 12

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user PATRISH64.