Moroccan Chicken Stew *

Bahan-bahan

• 2 lbs Chicken thighs (bone-in, skinless)

• 2T Olive oil

• 1 Onion, chopped

• 1C Carrots, sliced

• 4 Garlic cloves, minced

• 14oz Tomatoes, crushed OR 1-2T tomato paste

• 1/2 Chickpeas, drained

• 1C Chicken broth

• 1C Dried apricots/prunes/raisins, chopped

• 1C Almond slivers, toasted

• 1/2C Green olives, pitted and sliced

• 1⁄4C Cilantro, chopped

• 1⁄4C Parsley, chopped

• 1 Lemon, juiced

• Salt & pepper to taste

• Cooked couscous or rice, for serving

SPICE MIX

• 1t Cumin, ground

• 1t Ginger, ground

• 1t Cinnamon. Ground

• 1t Turmeric

• 1t Smoked paprika

• 1t Coriander, ground

• 1⁄2t Cayenne pepper (optional, for extra heat)

Arahan

• Mix all spices together, sit aside. Then season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper on both sides.

• In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken thighs, skin-side down, until browned on both sides. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

• In the same pot, add the chopped onion and carrots, sauté until softened.

• Stir in the minced garlic & spice mix, and cook for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant.

• Stir in the crushed tomatoes, chickpeas, chicken broth, and chopped apricots to the pot. Return the chicken thighs to the pot, submerging them in the sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45 - 60 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and fully cooked.

• Add the green olives, fresh cilantro, parsley, almond, and lemon juice. Stir and let simmer uncovered for an additional 5-10 minutes.

• Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper as needed.

• Serve over cooked couscous or rice, garnished with additional cilantro/parsley/almond if desired.

Nota

• To save time, pull apart half of Costco chicken or cooked chicken breast in place of chicken thighs. If used, allow the stew base to simmer for 30minutes before adding chicken to take up the flavor of stew.

• Depending on how “old”/dry is your dried fruits, I recommend to soak it in hot water for 30 minutes prior to cooking so it will release flavor, then add the liquid to the pot. Or you can always cheat w/ brandy soaked fruits like I do sometimes since I always have them in the fridge.

• When you don’t have enough dried fruits, cut up a couple peaches/nectarine/plum & add 1T sugar to the stew can be a good substitute. I used a mix of fresh/dried fruits sometimes, all depending on what in season (or what came w/ organic farm delivery box).

• The color of the stew varies, all depends on the amount of tomatoes/tomato paste you put into it. I used a mix of 2T tomato paste due to my allergy, hence why the 2nd photo was more of a yellow (turmeric) colored than the 1st.