Chicken Tagine With Almonds Apricots And Olives Food

CHICKEN TAGINE WITH ALMONDS, APRICOTS, AND OLIVES

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, bring apricots and orange juice to a simmer over medium-high heat. Remove from heat; let cool.
• Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a braiser pan or deep straight-sided skillet over medium-high heat; add oil and swirl to coat bottom. Cook half of chicken, flipping once, until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Cook remaining chicken; transfer to plate.
• Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat. Reduce heat to medium; add onion, garlic, and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in ginger and cinnamon and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Stir in broth and saffron, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan. Return chicken and accumulated juices to pan. Drain apricots; add to pan with almonds and olives. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of chicken breast (without touching bone) reads 165 degrees, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in cilantro. Serve with couscous and harissa.

CHICKEN TAGINE WITH APRICOTS AND ALMONDS

Steps:

• Stir together ground cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons oil in a large bowl. Add chicken and turn to coat well.
• Heat butter and 1 tablespoon oil in base of tagine (or in skillet), uncovered, over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then brown half of chicken, skin sides down, turning over once, 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Brown remaining chicken in same manner, adding any spice mixture left in bowl.
• Add onion and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt to tagine and cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, until soft, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Tie cilantro and parsley into a bundle with kitchen string and add to tagine along with 1/2 cup water, chicken, and any juices accumulated on plate. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 30 minutes.
• While chicken cooks, bring honey, remaining cup water, cinnamon stick, and apricots to a boil in a 1- to 2-quart heavy saucepan, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until apricots are very tender (add more water if necessary). Once apricots are tender, simmer until liquid is reduced to a glaze, 10 to 15 minutes.
• While apricots cook, heat remaining 1/4 cup oil in a small skillet over moderate heat and cook almonds, stirring occasionally, until just golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.
• Ten minutes before chicken is done, add apricot mixture to tagine. Discard herbs and cinnamon stick, then serve chicken sprinkled with almonds on top.

CHICKEN TAGINE WITH OLIVES AND APRICOTS

Steps:

• Sprinkle the chicken all over with 2 teaspoons salt. Refrigerate, uncovered, at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.
• Meanwhile, thinly slice 1 lemon; spread out the slices and sprinkle generously with salt on both sides. Stack the slices on a plate and let stand at room temperature, at least 20 minutes and up to 3 hours.
• Pat the chicken dry. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add 3 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil shimmers, add half of the chicken, skin-side down; cover and cook until the skin is golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a platter. Repeat with the remaining chicken. Discard the excess oil.
• Add the butter, onion, garlic, ginger, coriander, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, saffron and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper to the pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes; stir in the cilantro and parsley. Push the onion mixture to one side, then add the chicken to the pot, skin-side up. Spoon some of the onion mixture over the chicken and add 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low; cover and gently simmer, 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the apricots, 1 cup water and the honey in a medium saucepan over medium heat; cover and cook until the apricots are plump, about 15 minutes. Uncover and cook until the liquid is syrupy, about 15 more minutes; set aside. Cook the almonds in the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Set aside on paper towels.
• Chop the salted lemon slices into small pieces; add to the pot with the chicken along with the olives and the juice of the remaining lemon. Cover and continue cooking until the chicken is tender, about 20 more minutes. Arrange the chicken on a platter. Top with the olive sauce, apricot mixture and almonds. Serve with couscous.

CHICKPEA TAGINE WITH CHICKEN AND APRICOTS

Steps:

• Put oil in a large, deep pot over medium-high heat. When oil is shimmering, add chicken and brown well on both sides; remove from pan and set aside. Reduce heat to medium, add onion to the pan and cook until soft, about 5 minutes; add garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, dried apricots and tomato. Cook and stir just long enough to loosen any brown bits from bottom of pan.
• Add chickpeas and 1 cup of stock or bean liquid to the pan and turn heat back to medium-high. When mixture reaches a gentle bubble, return chicken to the pan. Cover pot, turn heat to low and cook, checking occasionally to make sure the mixture is bubbling gently, for about 15 minutes or until tomatoes break down and flavors begin to meld. Stir in bulgur, adding more stock if necessary so that the mixture is covered with about an inch of liquid. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cover and cook until the chicken and bulgur are both done, about 10 to 15 minutes. Taste, adjust the seasonings and serve in bowls garnished with parsley.

CHICKEN TAGINE WITH EGGPLANT AND OLIVES

Steps:

• On a plate, blend the cumin and paprika together. Dip the chicken pieces in spices to coat both sides. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat and brown chicken on both sides. Remove.
• Add the onions to the skillet and sear on cut sides until browned. Remove. Lower heat to medium and add remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Lightly brown eggplant on cut sides. Remove. Add garlic and olives, cook until the garlic has softened, then add the stock and vinegar. Bring to a simmer, deglazing the pan, then turn off the heat.
• Coarsely chop the browned onions. Scatter them in a terra-cotta tagine or in a sauté pan with a cover, then lay the chicken pieces on top. Chop the eggplant in 1-inch chunks and distribute them over the chicken. Pour stock mixture, with olives and garlic, on top. Season with salt and pepper and scatter chopped tarragon on top. Cover the tagine or pan and cook on medium-low heat for 40 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest 10 minutes. Garnish with tarragon sprigs and serve with rice or couscous.

CHICKEN TAGINE WITH APRICOTS AND ALMONDS

Steps:

• Stir together ground cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons oil in a large bowl. Add chicken and turn to coat well.
• Heat butter and 1 tablespoon oil in base of tagine (or in large heave 12 inch skillet), uncovered, over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then brown half of chicken, skin sides down, turning over once, 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Brown remaining chicken in same manner, adding any spice mixture left in bowl.
• Add onion and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt to tagine (or skillet) and cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, until soft, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Tie cilantro and parsley into a bundle with kitchen string and add to tagine along with 1/2 cup water, chicken, and any juices accumulated on plate. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 30 minutes.
• While chicken cooks, bring honey, remaining cup water, cinnamon stick, and apricots to a boil in a 1- to 2-quart heavy saucepan, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until apricots are very tender (add more water if necessary). Once apricots are tender, simmer until liquid is reduced to a glaze, 10 to 15 minutes.
• While apricots cook, heat remaining 1/4 cup oil in a small skillet over moderate heat and cook almonds, stirring occasionally, until just golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.
• Ten minutes before chicken is done, add apricot mixture to tagine. Discard herbs and cinnamon stick, then serve chicken sprinkled with almonds on top.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN TAGINE WITH HONEY AND APRICOTS

Steps:

• In a large pot, melt the margarine.
• Fry the chopped onions until soft, then add the chicken, salt, pepper, turmeric and cinnamon sticks.
• Don't worry, no one will make you eat a cinnamon stick unless you really want to.
• Add enough water to cover the chicken, about two cups.
• Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the chicken is done, adding water if necessary.
• Remove the chicken pieces.
• Add the apricots and simmer for about fifteen minutes.
• Add the ground cinnamon and the honey, stir and cook until the sauce has a honey-like consistency.
• Add more honey if necessary.
• When the sauce is almost ready, saute the almonds in oil.
• Drain most of the oil from the pan, and toast the sesame seeds.
• Return the chicken to the pot and reheat.
• Place the chicken on a serving tray, pour the sauce on top of it and top with the almonds and the sesame seeds.
• Serve with couscous (except on Passover).

MOROCCAN CHICKEN TAGINE

Steps:

• Mix cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, coriander, ginger, mint, salt, and pepper together in a bowl. Measure out 1/2 cup spice mix and set the remaining aside for another use.
• Bring a small pot of water to a boil; add apricots and raisins. Cook until fruit is soft, about 5 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of cooking water.
• Pour enough olive oil into a large skillet or Dutch oven to coat the bottom; turn heat to medium. Coat chicken with the 1/2 cup spice mix and place in the hot oil; cook until golden brown and releases easily from the skillet, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
• Mix onion and garlic into skillet with chicken; cook and stir until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add apricots, raisins, reserved 1/2 cup water from fruit, chicken broth, and honey; reduce heat to low and cover. Cook until chicken is very tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Serve chicken garnished with cilantro and almonds.