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Apricot Chicken Tagine with Cilantro Couscous

A flavorful and aromatic dish that’s healthy; recipe from About.com. The apricots and raisins taste even sweeter against the cinnamon and cumin covered chicken pieces.

Apricot Chicken Tagine with Cilantro Couscous
Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp salt
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
4 chicken quarters
TBSP olive oil
½ sweet onion
3 chopped shallots
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp tumeric
3 dried ancho chilis, rehydrated (soaked in boiling water)
3 roma tomatoes, chopped
cups chicken broth
cup golden raisins
cup raw cashews
cup dried apricots
1 cup couscous
½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
3 TBSP preserved lemon
4 fresh apricots, pitted and halved
salt and pepper, to taste
Cilantro (optional garnish)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 (the original recipe says to bake the chicken at 450 for 45 minutes, but this dried out the chicken; I suggest baking it at 350 for about 1 hour and 15 minutes)

2. Combine 1 tsp cinnamon and ginger, 1 tsp cumin, and ½ tsp salt in a small dish. In another small dish, combine lemon zest and juice; set aside.

3. Dip each piece of chicken into the lemon and zest mixture, placing the chicken in a large baking sheet/dish. Dust an equal amount of the spice mixture over each piece, rubbing in the spices until evenly coated. Cover sheet or dish with foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove the foil and bake for 15 more minutes, until chicken is golden brown but still moist.

4. While chicken is roasting, heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, shallots, and garlic — cook, stirring frequently, for about 6 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add ½ tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp each of cumin, paprika, turmeric, and chili peppers, then cook for 2 minutes more.

5. To the skillet, add the tomatoes, broth, raisins, cashews, and dried apricots; allow the sauce to simmer for 10 minutes. (The sauce should still resemble a broth; add additional broth or water i sauce thickens too quickly.)

6. Add the fresh apricots, preserved lemon, and salt and pepper to taste. (you may not need to add any salt; both the broth and lemon contribute to the dish’s savory quality.)

7. While the sauce is simmering, combine the couscous with 1½ cups water in a medium-sized saucepan. Over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, bring couscous to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cover and let simmer until the water has been absorbed, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the couscous rest for about 15 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork, adding 1 tsp oil, cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste.

8. Place roast chicken on a bed of couscous, and generously ladle the warm sauce over the chicken, garnishing with sprigs of cilantro or fresh greens if desired.