Credit:

Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Phoebe Hausser, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling

Active Time:

35 mins

Total Time:

35 mins

Servings:

4

Yield:

4 servings

Nutrition Profile:

• This cozy skillet dinner takes just 35 minutes to make.
• Chickpeas provide fiber, supporting digestion and a healthy microbiome.
• Adding canned chickpea liquid thickens the dish naturally.

Our Cumin Chicken & Chickpea Skillet packs in big flavor for a quick and nutritious weeknight meal. Protein-rich chicken is coated in warm and comforting cumin, paprika and coriander spices and then sautéed with anti-inflammatory onions in heart-healthy olive oil. You’ll get slow-cooked flavor with lycopene-rich tomato paste and even more protein from the chickpeas. The tomatoes give a burst of juiciness with every bite—this will surely become one of your favorite meals. Keep reading for our expert tips, including smart ingredient substitutions.

Tips from the EatingWell Test Kitchen

These are the key tips we learned while developing and testing this recipe in our Test Kitchen to make sure it works, tastes great and is good for you too!

• While the skillet simmers, we add some of the liquid from the canned chickpeas (known as aquafaba), which acts as a thickening agent.
• You can serve this as is or as a topping over brown rice, quinoa or another favorite grain.
• After making the dish for the first time, you might want to try some variations, such as adding cubes of butternut squash, Israeli or pearl couscous or spicing it up with red pepper flakes or a dash of hot sauce.
• You can use boneless chicken thighs instead of breasts or a store-bought rotisserie chicken. Cutting it into bite-sized pieces makes for easier eating.

Nutrition Notes

• Chicken breasts are an easy protein to add to weeknight meals, such as this recipe, because they are boneless, skinless and require little to no prep work. Chicken is not only an excellent source of muscle-building protein, it is also a source of choline, an important nutrient for brain health.
• Chickpeas are the fiber-rich protein that helps bump up the satiety factor in this meal. Chickpeas are excellent for digestive health, both in aiding in regularity and also to help maintain the health of your microbiome. Canned chickpeas can be a little high in sodium, so rinsing your beans first can help decrease some sodium—great for your blood pressure.
• Canned tomatoes are a rich source of the antioxidant lycopene, which helps protect your cells from damage. This recipe calls for "no-salt added" tomatoes to help control the sodium in this dish. If you can’t find the "no-salt added," choose low sodium instead.

Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Phoebe Hausser, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling

Keep Screen Awake

Ingredients

1/2x

1x

2x

Original recipe (1X) yields 4 servings

1½ teaspoons ground cumin

1½ teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground pepper

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added chickpeas

1 (14-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon lemon juice

¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Stir 1½ teaspoons cumin, 1½ teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon coriander, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper together in a small bowl. Place chicken pieces in a medium bowl; add 1 tablespoon of the spice mixture and toss to coat. Set the remaining spice mixture aside.

Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Phoebe Hausser, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling 1.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer; cook, stirring occasionally, until browned (the chicken will be undercooked), about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate; do not wipe the pan clean.

Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Phoebe Hausser, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling 1.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, minced garlic and the remaining 2¼ teaspoons spice mixture; cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes.

Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Phoebe Hausser, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling 1.

Drain 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, reserving ½ cup chickpea liquid. Add 1 (14-ounce) can tomatoes with their juice, the drained chickpeas, the reserved ½ cup chickpea liquid and the reserved chicken to the mixture in the pan; stir and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Serve sprinkled with ¼ cup parsley.

Recipe Updates

Based on earlier review and comments of this recipe, we’ve retested and made the following adjustments (and updated the nutritional analysis accordingly):

• Increased cumin, paprika and salt (to boost flavor)
• Added coriander (to add flavor)
• Turned marinade into a spice rub and seared chicken in the pan (to build flavor)
• Added tomato paste (to boost flavor)
• Added chickpea liquid (to improve sauce consistency)
• Decreased lemon juice (to balance flavor)

Updated May 2025

Frequently Asked Questions

This recipe is best enjoyed within the first 3 days of making it. Transfer the cooled chicken into an airtight container or portion it into single-serve containers and store them in the refrigerator. Reheat in a saucepan over low heat or in a covered dish in the microwave in 1-minute intervals, stirring in between. You might want to add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or broth.

Absolutely! You might consider making a double batch so you can freeze some for later—it will last for about 3 months. After cooking, transfer the cooled dish into freezer-safe containers. If you plan to take it to work, choose individual-sized portions. When you’re ready to use it, let it thaw overnight in the fridge.

EatingWell Magazine, November/December 2015

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

353	Calories
12g	Fat
29g	Carbs
34g	Protein

Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 4 Serving Size 1 1/4 cups Calories 353 % Daily Value * Total Carbohydrate 29g 11% Dietary Fiber 8g 30% Total Sugars 9g Added Sugars 0g 0% Protein 34g 67% Total Fat 12g 16% Saturated Fat 2g 9% Cholesterol 83mg 28% Vitamin A 81µg Vitamin C 24mg 27% Vitamin D 0µg Vitamin E 3mg 23% Folate 137µg Vitamin K 74µg Sodium 663mg 29% Calcium 105mg 8% Iron 4mg 25% Magnesium 91mg 22% Potassium 1039mg 22% Zinc 2mg 20% Vitamin B12 0µg Omega 3 0g

Nutrition information is calculated by a registered dietitian using an ingredient database but should be considered an estimate.

* Daily Values (DVs) are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume each day. Percent Daily Value (%DV) found on nutrition labels tells you how much a serving of a particular food or recipe contributes to each of those total recommended amounts. Per the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the daily value is based on a standard 2,000 calorie diet. Depending on your calorie needs or if you have a health condition, you may need more or less of particular nutrients. (For example, it’s recommended that people following a heart-healthy diet eat less sodium on a daily basis compared to those following a standard diet.)

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a special diet for medical reasons, be sure to consult with your primary care provider or a registered dietitian to better understand your personal nutrition needs.

Additional reporting by

Linda Frahm

Linda Frahm has been a copy editor and fact checker working with food and nutrition content for the past 30-plus years for consumer print and online publications.