This is one of my favorite things to make and eat. I developed the recipe over time, tweaking things here and there, and you can adapt it to your own taste. It looks like a lot of ingredients, but it's not complicated. You can play around with the spices and the amounts of them (I usually just eyeball it) as well as the different kind of veggies and fruits. Tomatoes, sweet potato, butternut squash, chickpeas, a little ginger, golden raisins and summer squash are all things that I've tried in this dish with great success. You can vary it to the season and your taste. This particular one has zucchini, sweet potato, mild olives and apricots. I use castelvetrano olives, which if you haven't tried, are amazing. I have seen die hard olive haters come around after trying them. They're mild, buttery and not overly briny. I serve it over a simple couscous with a sprinkling of parsley and a squeeze of lemon. If you like spice, add a little harissa, a Tunisian spice blend available in a tube or jar in most markets.
Ingredients:
10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2.5 - 3 lbs.)
1 Tbs cumin
1 Tbs coriander
1 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp of cayenne
2 tsp kosher salt
olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tbs tomato paste
2 Tbs tomato paste
32 oz chicken broth (I like the organic, free range Imagine brand)
6 oz dried apricots (I used organic turkish apricots), roughly chopped
2 tsp preserved lemon paste (optional)
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
2 tsp preserved lemon paste (optional)
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and chopped into 1/2" pieces
1 c castel vetrano olives (pitted or unpitted - just be careful while eating)
juice of one lemon
a handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
harissa (Tunisian spice blend)
prepared couscous to serve over
Method:
Lay one of the chicken thighs flat on a cutting board and cut it in two pieces lengthwise and then 3 times crosswise so that you have 6 pieces of chicken. Do this with the rest of the thighs and place all the meat in a large mixing bowl. Add the next 6 ingredients and stir to coat evenly. You can let this marinate 5 minutes or overnight.
Heat a large pot or Dutch oven on the stove with a medium flame. Add enough olive oil to generously coat the bottom. When the oil is hot, add the chopped onion and garlic. Cook for about five minutes or until the onion starts to turn pale golden. Don't let it get too dark, or burn. Next, add the seasoned chicken and tomato paste. Turn the heat up a little. Stir it every couple minutes until all the pieces start to look like they're getting some color and are no longer pink. The time will depend on your pot, flame and how often you stir, but it should take about 10 minutes. Add the apricots, preserved lemon paste (if using) and chicken broth. Turn down the heat to a simmer (you don't want it boiling) and cover. Let simmer for about an hour and a half. Add the sweet potato in the last 20 minutes of cooking and you can keep it uncovered now to help it thicken up slightly. In the last ten minutes of cooking, add the zucchini and olives. It should look like should look like a liquidy stew, the chicken should be very tender and the sweet potato completely cooked.
Before serving, stir in the chopped parsley and lemon juice. Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary. Serve over couscous in large bowls. Enjoy!
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