Moroccan-Inspired Braised Chicken

By Amanda26

Ingredients

• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 3 tsp ground coriander
• 3 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cayenne, or to taste
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• 8 chicken thighs
• 2-3 tbsp olive or grapeseed oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger root, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• 1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, roughly chopped
• 1 cup chickpeas
• 1 can 14-oz chopped tomatoes
• 1/2-1 cup chicken stock
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 bay leaf

Preparation

Step 1

To prepare the chicken thighs, combine the paprika, coriander, cumin, cinnamon and cayenne in a small bowl. Wash and dry the chicken thighs and trim off the excess fat and skin. Place in a sheet pan and season the chicken on both sides with the spices, salt and black pepper. Let stand for 5 minutes.

To brown the chicken thighs, heat a large heavy-bottomed pan with lid. When the pan is hot, add enough oil to coat bottom of the pan. Add the chicken, skin side down and cook until the chicken is brown on both sides, about 10 minutes total.

Once all of the chicken has been browned, turn off the heat, remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Add more oil if needed, then add the onions and sweat until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and ginger and saute for 1 minute. Deglaze with white wine. Once the white wine has been reduced, stir in the tomato paste and stir to combine. Then add the apricots, olives, chickpeas, tomatoes, half of the chicken stock and honey. Stir everything together and add the bay leaf. Place the chicken on the sauce on a single layer skin side up. If you need more liquid, add more chicken stock to cover the chicken by two-thirds. Bring the dish to a simmer, cover and cook until the chicken is tender for about 30-35 minutes. Serve with couscous.