My first thought was that I wanted to really highlight the figs, and in the other recipe, I found they became too mushy, and though they made a great sauce, they were not the star of the dish.  Adjustments were made, spices were kept to a minimum and fingers were crossed.   Four couples (8 of us), polished off a few bottles of Ijalba Rioja, had a simple side salad and this new version of slow-cooker chicken with figs.  A forkful of the chicken with some bacon, a piece fig and topped with blue cheese... was heavenly!