Chicken Tagine with Apricots and Almonds
 
 
by:
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 2 2-inch pieces cinnamon stick
  • ¾ cup dried Turkish apricots, separated into halves
  • 1½ teaspoons each: ground cinnamon and ginger
  • ¾ teaspoon each: turmeric and ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
  • 3 tablespoons, plus ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, halved
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 large red onion, halved, then sliced ¼ inch thick
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 5 fresh sprigs each: cilantro and flat-leaf parsley tied together with kitchen twine
  • ½ cup slivered blanched almonds
Instructions
  1. Bring honey, 1 cup water, cinnamon sticks, and apricots to a boil over medium-high heat in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until apricots are tender and liquid is reduced to a glaze 15 to 20 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, mix cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, pepper, salt, and 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat; set aside.
  3. Heat butter and another tablespoon oil in base of tagine (or deep skillet or Dutch oven) over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding sauté chicken, turning only once, until impressively brown, 5 to 6 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate.
  4. Add onion to empty tagine and sauté until soft, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add herb bundle to tagine along with ¾ cup water, and chicken. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until juices are rich and chicken is tender, about 30 minutes, adding apricots the last 10 minutes of cooking.
  5. Heat remaining ¼ cup oil in a small skillet over medium heat; fry almonds, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Discard herbs and cinnamon sticks. Sprinkle chicken with almonds and serve.
Recipe by Three Many Cooks at https://threemanycooks.com/recipes/meaty-mains/giveaway-chicken-tagine-with-apricots-and-almonds/