Chicken Garbanzo Stew

INGREDIENTS
2          tablespoons olive oil
½         pound chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
1          small white onion, chopped
1          red or orange bell pepper, diced to ½ inch
3          cloves garlic, chopped
1          tablespoons ground cumin
2          tablespoons tomato paste
1          pinch red pepper flakes
2          cups water or chicken broth
2          bay leaves
1          can (15 ounce) garbanzo beans – chickpeas

METHOD

Heat the olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add the chicken pieces and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is well browned on all sides. Add the onion and red bell pepper, simmer for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

In a small bowl, mix the cumin, tomato paste and red pepper flakes with a little of the water or broth. Add, along with the remaining water/broth to the sauce pan. Scrape up any brown parts at the bottom of the pan. Add the bay leaves, reduce the heat to low-medium and cook for 10 minutes.

Add the drained chick peas to the sauce pan and cook for 5 minutes. Let the stew cool for a few minutes and serve immediately. Produces 2 to 4 medium sized servings as a side dish.