Oooo! It’s that wonderful transition between spring and summer when the stone fruit has come to town! YEAH! It’s a perfect time to make something exotically delicious, yet light and fresh at the same time, like this Fresh Apricot & Chicken Tagine.
For a vegetarian option, replace the chicken with a can of BPA free organic chick peas, and if you want to go further with making it vegan, exchange the honey for with agave nectar or date paste and water! Delicious food for anybelly and everybelly.
Fresh Apricot & Chicken Tagine
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
A delicious flavor trip that will have you with one foot in a jewel-toned Casbah and the other firmly in Northern California.
Author: Chef Nicole Poirier
Recipe type: Dinner
Cuisine: Moroccan, Californian, Gluten Free & Paleo
Serves: 4 – 6
Ingredients
- 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb chicken (thighs are the most traditional, moist, and flavorful here – I like to use boneless skinless organic)
- 1 cup onion, chopped – red or sweet, like Vidalia, preferred
- 1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced
- 1 can BPA free organic diced tomatoes
- 3 – 5 fresh apricots depending on size, cut into eighths (about 1 cup cut)
- ½ c chicken broth or water
- ¼ – ½ c honey – this depends on your taste. Start small and add as necessary.
- 1 Tbsp Ras el hanout spice blend*, divided
- Salt
- Pepper
- *(for convenience, I suggest spicely organic spice blend available at Whole Foods, Rainbow, or any better organic-minded market in San Francisco, but have included my go-to REH recipe below)
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a deeper frying pan with lid over medium high heat until it runs freely around the pan. Meanwhile, season the chicken with salt, pepper, and ½ of the Ras el Hanout. Place the chicken in the pan to brown and release some of the juices, flipping once to attend to both sides. Remove from pan and reserve on a plate.
- In the same pan, add the onion and a pinch of salt (this helps prevent onions from burning) scraping any lingering chicken bits off of the bottom with a wooden spoon. Once the onions begin to turn translucent after 3-5 minutes, add the sweet potato, can of tomatoes, remaining ½ T of REH, ⅔ of your apricots, ½ c of broth or water, and ¼ c honey. Stir this mixture well and once it starts to bubble and the sweet potatoes start to lose their hardness, return chicken to pan. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and let simmer for 10 – 15 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
- Now, uncover and taste. Fresh apricots can be tart, so you may want to add that extra ¼ c of honey (or more depending on your taste) and a little more salt. Also, add that last ⅓ of your fresh apricots, which will maintain their shape as the other ones should have melted by now and add pretty pops of color and freshness to your dish! Re-cover and let simmer for 5 more minutes to soften the fruit.
- Serve and enjoy – couscous, quinoa, or millet are wonderful accompaniments!
Ras el Hanout Recipe
http://moroccanfood.about.com/od/maindishes/r/ras_el_hanout_recipe.htm
Leave a Reply