Ingredients
Chicken Stew with Apricots
4 servings
prep time 10 minutes
Cook time 45 min
8 chicken thighs, bone in and skin on
Salt and Freshly ground pepper
2.5 cups of chicken broth
.75 cup dried apricots
.75 cups of dried pitted prunes
One 1 inch by 2 inch piece of orange peel
2 tbs of vegetable oil
One large onion, finely copped (about 2 cups)
3 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
Spices, to taste:
kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, Cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice, cayenne pepper (or Aleppo pepper if you have it), and paprika
2 tsp tomato paste
One 10 oz box of plain couscous
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a boil with the apricots, prunes and orange peel. Add the Spices. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven or a deep oven proof skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat and and brown the chicken in two Batches, skin side down. After about 5 minutes, turn the pieces over and brown the other side, about 2 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate. Pour off all but 2 2 tbs of the fat, and add the onion and the garlic, and saute over medium heat slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in the fruit and broth mixture, scraping to loosen any brown bits that are stuck to the bottom and sides of the dutch oven. Season with salt to taste.
Transfer the thighs and their juices to the broth. Return to a simmer, then bake uncovered for 25 minutes. About 10 minutes before the chicken is ready.prepare the couscous according to package instructions. Spoon the stew over the couscous and serve.
notes
You can also try soaking all the dried fruit in brandy (or wine, or scotch, or whatever seems good to you) overnight with the spices.
