Moroccan Chicken. Arabian Nights.

We had an incredible honeymoon in Morocco (thanks to my very generous parents-in-law), during which I had a Moroccan cooking lesson in the middle of the Sahara.  It was incredible, sitting under the stars in the almost oppressive silence being shown how to cook traditional Moroccan food.  We even had a lesson on how to bake bread in the sand.  So magical.

Anyway since we got back I have ended up taking my own slant on the traditional cooking (thanks to the lack of a tagine, saffron funds etc).  This is my Moroccan chicken which is amazingly reminiscent of our weeks in that wonderful country.  It is simple to make from store-cupboard ingredients and goes well with a bowl of couscous cooked in vegetable stock and scattered with plumped up sultanas and flaked almonds.  I use chicken breasts, so don't allow it to simmer for a long time or else the meat will dry out.  If you want to make a stew that sits on the top of the oven for a long time use chicken legs instead of breasts.

Ingredients (serves 4)

4 tbsp oil
4 free-range chicken breasts, de-skinned and cut into chunks
1 onion, finely sliced
3 fat garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tin of tomatoes
1/2 tin of water
70 g tomato puree
a large handful of dried apricots, halved
4 heaped tsp cumin
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp chili powder
a handful of cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp honey

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a moderate heat.  Add the onion and cook until nearly softened. then add the garlic and cook for another minute or so.

2. Throw in the chicken breasts and cook, stirring until they are white all over.

3. Add the cumin and chili powder and cook for 10 seconds then pour in the tinned and fresh tomatoes, the water, the puree, apricots, cinnamon stick and honey.  Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for 5 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

Serve hot with couscous.