Weekend dinner - 27/02/2016

Chicken tagine with apricots and green olives

This is another great recipe my friend S shared with me. Below is my adaption.

Chicken tagine with apricots and green olives

- 800-1000g chicken pieces (I like thighs)
- 2 teaspoons of grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- 1 teaspoon of cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper
- 1-2 teaspoons of water
- 2 tablespoons of oil
- 1 large onion, minced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons of tomato puree (or 2 fresh tomatoes, chopped)
- pinch of saffron (optional)
- 2 cups of water/stock
- 12 dried apricots (use less if yours are big), halved or not, it's up to you
- half cup of green olives, halved
- chopped coriander leaves

In a big container, marinade the chicken pieces with ginger, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric and black pepper for at least one hour or leave it in the fridge for overnight. You may need a little bit water to bring the spice paste together.

In a wide bottom pan, heat the oil until hot. Sear all sides of the chicken pieces. Watch out the heat so that the spices are not darkened too quickly. When the chicken pieces are golden all around, remove from the pan.

In the same pan, cook the minced onion until lightly golden. Add in minced garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in the tomato paste and cook it for another minute or two.

Add in water/stock along with a pinch of saffron. Scrape the bottom of the pan to make sure nothing is stuck. When the water comes back to boil, put the chicken pieces on top, try not to overlap. The water level should be just about the level of chicken pieces. There is no need to add more water to submerge the chicken completely. Turn the heat to low, lid on, cook the chicken for 45-60 minutes.

During the last five minutes of cooking, stir in the apricots and green olives. Let the cooking continue for 5 more minutes. Heat off with lid back on for another 5-10 minutes.

When it's ready to serve, scatter chopped coriander leaves (or parsley leaves) to the top. It's great with couscous or coconut turmeric rice (as is served tonight) and a plate of roasted vegetables.