Pork Stew With Chickpeas

Jenny Skrapaliori-Graves | Last Updated: December 11, 2025

Pork Stew With Chickpeas in a dutch oven with a silver serving spoon.

This pork stew with chickpeas is hearty, rustic, and deeply satisfying. It slow-cooks with just a handful of honest ingredients and rewards you with tender pork, soft chickpeas, and layered, earthy flavors that taste like home.

If you’re a fan of our delicious Pork Stew With Chickpeas, you’re in for a treat with our Pork and Beans, Greek Beef Stew-Stifado, and Greek Lamb Stew Avgolemono!

Pork Stew With Chickpeas in a plate with a fork and spoon, over a cloth napkin.

Overview

Why you will love this pork stew

A delicious Cretan classic – Pork stew with chickpeas appears in many regions of Greece, but this version comes from Anogeia in Crete. It’s traditionally prepared and enjoyed on the eve of a wedding, which tells you immediately: this dish is celebration-worthy.
Simple ingredients, beautiful food – Cretan cuisine is famous for its minimalism. You don’t need much to create real flavor, just good olive oil, pork, chickpeas, and time. This stew embodies that philosophy perfectly.
Versatile and cozy – Serve it over mashed potatoes or creamy polenta for a main course, or repurpose leftovers as a rich sauce over grilled or roasted proteins. It gets even better the next day.

Here is what you need

Pork shoulder – A forgiving, flavorful cut that loves slow cooking. Browning it first renders some of the fat and gives the edges a little crispness while keeping the inside meltingly tender.
Chickpeas – Also known as garbanzo beans. Use dried chickpeas for the most authentic texture or canned for convenience. Instructions for both methods are below.
Onion – Roughly chopped or diced, it melts into the stew and adds sweetness and depth.
Wine – Dry white or red both work beautifully. Substitute with veggie or chicken stock.
Canned tomatoes – San Marzano is my pantry hero, but if tomatoes are in peak season, fresh ripe ones are fantastic too.
Sun-dried tomatoes – Your flavor bomb. They bring a savory depth (the famous Japanese “umami”) and intensify the stew’s richness.
Extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, pepper, cumin – The essential flavor foundation.

How to make this pork stew

If using dry chickpeas

Soak chickpeas overnight in plenty of water.
Thirty minutes before cooking, drain, rinse, place in a bowl, cover with fresh water, and add 1 tablespoon baking soda.
Rinse well, then transfer to a pot with plenty of fresh water.
Bring to a boil and cook until soft but not falling apart.
Reserve 2 cups of the cooking liquid for the stew.

If using canned chickpeas

Drain both cans and save the liquid from one of them.
Mix the saved liquid with 1 cup water.
Set aside for the stew.

Heat the oven to 155°C / 315°F degrees.
Pat the pork with a paper towel to blot any extra moisture. Season with sea salt and pepper.
Heat 2-3 tablespoons olive oil in an ovenproof pot (like a Dutch oven).
Add 3-4 pork pieces and brown all over. Transfer to a plate and repeat until all are browned.

Move all the pork back into the pot on high heat. Carefully add the wine and let the alcohol evaporate.

Chickpeas, tomatoes, pork and seasonings in a pot.

Add the onions, chickpeas, and tomatoes and season with sea salt, freshly ground pepper, cumin, and cayenne pepper (to taste). Stir gently. If needed, add a little saved chickpea water.
Cover and place the pot in the oven. Cook for 60 minutes.

Pork stew with chickpeas cooked in a pot.

Stir and add the sun-dried tomatoes, cover and continue cooking in the oven for 30 more minutes.
Uncover, add a little chickpea water if needed, stir, and continue cooking for 30 more minutes.
Let the pork stew sit for 15 minutes. Adjust sea salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Pork Stew With Chickpeas in a dutch oven with a silver serving spoon, over a cloth napkin.

Pro Tips

Dried chickpeas vary in soaking time. I love the small Italian sultano variety that needs only about 2 hours.
Swap tomatoes for 2 tablespoons tomato paste diluted in 1 cup of water.
If avoiding wine, use 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock.

FAQs about pork pot roast

If you’re using dried chickpeas, yes. Soaking helps them cook evenly and get that perfect tender (not mushy) texture. Canned chickpeas are ready to go.

Pork shoulder works best because it becomes buttery-soft when slow-cooked. Pork butt works too. Lean cuts like loin will dry out.

Absolutely. This is a “gets-better-as-it-sits” kind of dish. It’s perfect for cooking the day before.

Yes. Brown the pork first, then transfer everything into the slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 7–8 hours or HIGH for 4–5 hours.

Serving suggestions

Salad. A traditional horiatiki suits every meal. A large lettuce salad with feta is also great.
Rice. Make your favorite rice or try our pilafi.
A dip. Use it as a sauce. Tzatziki, skordalia, hummus, or whipped spicy feta are delicious.
Bread. The sauce begs for some bread dipping! Our olive oil bread will help with that!
Crispy veggies. Our fried zucchini or eggplant slices are delicious and add a crunchy texture to this pork stew.

Storage and reheating

Store: Let the stew cool completely, then refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The flavors deepen beautifully, so day-two stew might even steal the show.
Freeze: Freeze in portions for up to 3 months. Chickpeas hold up well, and the pork becomes even more tender after thawing. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Reheat: Warm on the stovetop over medium-low heat with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce.
Microwave in 1-minute intervals, stirring in between.
Note: If the stew thickens in the fridge, that’s normal. A little water, chickpea liquid, or broth brings it right back to life.