Divide ingredients in half, placing one half in the slow cooker to cook immediately and the other half in a bowl.
Combine the tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic and ginger paste, onions, carrots, apricots, juice and zest of lemon, chickpeas and all the spices and cornstarch. Mix well. Add the chicken.
Turn the slow cooker to low and cook for 8 hours. In the last 30 minutes of cooking, add 1/2 can of light coconut milk. Mix well and heat through.
Serve with couscous and toasted almonds.
Transfer the other half of the recipe to a large, zippered, freezer-safe bag. Freeze flat. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and proceed with slow cooker instructions.