Okra & Tomatoes with Chicken

This okra & tomatoes with chicken recipe is a healthy one-pot recipe that can be served any day of the week. Make this simple yet flavorful Southern recipe with ease in the slow cooker or Instant Pot.

Okra  & tomatoes is Southern dish that can be served as a side or a meatless main. I added chicken to make it a complete one-pot meal.

Ingredients For This Okra & Tomatoes with Chicken Recipe

• Okra: Fresh preferred but frozen okra is 100% okay to use as well. 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 chicken thighs, skinless or skin-on.
• 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 the onions in the bacon will add a lot of flavor.
• Seasonings: Keep it simple. The seasonings for this okra & tomatoes recipe is simple: salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
• Hot Sauce: Kick this recipe up a notch with some hot sauce. Use or more or less if you want or omit it all together.

How To Make Okra & Tomatoes with Chicken

Sit back and your gadget do the cooking. Since this recipe is meant to be cooked in the slow cooker or Instant Pot, it comes together easily. Especially if you use the slow cooker.

Slow Cooker
1. Start by seasoning the chicken with salt & pepper. Add the seasoned chicken to the slow cooker.

2. Add the diced tomatoes, broth, onion, salt, sugar (if using), paprika, pepper, and hot sauce (is using). Stir to mix well.

3. Cover & cook on HIGH 2-3 hours or LOW 4-6.

4. When cook time is complete, stir in the okra. Cook an additional 15 minutes or until okra is heated through.

What Is Okra

Okra is healthy being 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 hot climates making many Southern states desirable. Okra is an edible seed pod and even though okra is usually though of as a vegetable, it’s actually a fruit. This recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of sliced okra.

Okra is in season summer through fall. 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 hard if not pricey.

I understand that a lot of people don’t like okra because it’s slimy. Okra pods are mucilaginous so when cooked they get gooey or slimy. The slime isn’t always a bad thing; it’s a great a thickening agent in recipes like GUMBO. Tomatoes are acidic and acidity is one way to lessen the slime. This is one of the reasons okra pairs so well with tomatoes.

FAQ & Tips

Fresh Or Frozen Okra

Should you use fresh or frozen okra with this recipe? I hope you like this answer – use what you want. While fresh okra is always the preferred choice, frozen is acceptable in this recipe. It’s hard to find good, fresh okra out of season. It’s currently winter so what you see here in the pics is 1 1/2 cups of frozen okra. Whether you’re using fresh or frozen okra, stir it into the slow cooker or Instant Pot at the end of cooking.

What Type Of Tomatoes To Use

This okra & tomatoes with chicken is a slow cooker or Instant Pot recipe so fresh or canned tomatoes work well. I use canned because they’re cheap and readily available.

What Cut Of Chicken To Use

Like most of my recipes, you can use your preferred cut of chicken in this recipe whether it be chicken thighs, chicken breasts, skin-on, skin-off, bone-in, or boneless. My preferred cut is chicken thighs. Chicken thighs have more fat which means more flavor. However too much fat can lead to heard disease which is consistently one of the leading causes of death amongst African-Americans. So…chicken breasts work well with this recipe too! I encourage you to use the cut of chicken that fits your dietary needs.

Other Chicken Recipes You May Enjoy:

Creole Chicken Okra
Southern Chicken Spaghetti
Bacon Wrapped Cola BBQ Chicken Kebabs
Southern Baked Chicken
Cajun Stuffed Chicken