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Creating recipes isn't a pastime—it's a passion. And a lot of fun.

The rules are few: Use 99% fresh ingredients (or thereabouts); make the dish simple but flavorful; make the dish flavorful but simple; be creative, not silly.

With this blog, I want to share new recipes, along with tips on ingredients and preparation, and, hopefully, show new cooks (and non-cooks) the pleasure in setting the table with a delicious homemade meal. The Briny Lemon is about fresh, simple, flavorful ingredients and easy cooking methods that help you bring the best to your family table. Your comments are welcome!

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Slow-Cooked Moroccan Chicken with Apricots and Olives



Traditional Moroccan meat-and-vegetable stews called “tagines” derive their name from the pot they’re cooked in—a large, earthenware, or clay, bowl with a tall, cone-shaped lid called a tagine. Whether you use an actual tagine or not, there are two keys to making a rich, delicious Moroccan-style stew: slow cooking and lots of spices and other aromatic ingredients.

Common spices include paprika, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, saffron, and coriander along with fragrant ginger, garlic, lemon, cilantro, and parsley. Dried fruits like raisins and apricots, as well as meaty green olives, also are found in tagines. For this recipe, I served the stew over basmati rice, but couscous or other grains are common too.

Spices for Chicken Marinade
Serves 4

Ingredients
  • 2 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 4 large, whole chicken legs, cut into thighs and drumsticks, skin removed
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1/2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and very thinly sliced
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 3/4 cup coarsely chopped dried apricots (Turkish, if available)
  • 3/4 cup medium green olives, pitted and quartered lengthwise
  • zest from 1 medium lemon, trimmed into very thin strips
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 2-3 cups cooked basmati rice, for serving
Tagine Ingredients

Apricots, Olives, and Lemon Zest
Preparation
  1. Combine the first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Place the chicken pieces in the bowl and toss with the spice mixture to coat well. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours (or overnight). Bring to room temperature before proceeding.
Spice-Rubbed Chicken
  1. Heat a Dutch oven (or large, ovenproof pot with a lid) over medium heat and add the olive oil. Season the marinated chicken with salt and pepper and place in the pot. Add the garlic, onion, and ginger and cook, occasionally turning and stirring, until the chicken is lightly browned on both sides, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add the chicken broth, apricots, olives, and lemon zest to the pot. Reduce the heat to low and cover tightly with a lid. Braise until the chicken is tender and juicy, about 1 hour, turning a few times during cooking.
Chicken Beginning to Cook 
Stew Beginning to Braise
  1. Remove the stew from the heat and stir in the cilantro and parsley.
Slow-Cooked Moroccan Chicken with Apricots and Olives


To serve, divide the rice among 4 shallow bowls. Ladle the stew overtop the rice, including 2 chicken pieces per bowl. Serve hot. 

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