Recipe - Chicken Tangine with Apricots and Pinenuts

Chicken Tangine with Apricots and Toasted Pine Nuts

There are as many styles of tangine as there are cooks in Algeria (and Morocco).  I picked this one because Pete likes Orange Chicken and I was hopeful that this would be reminiscent of that.  I wouldn't say that it was, but I would say that it was great and that it's one of Pete's favorites so far in this cooking challenge.  Selfishly, I had some extra dried apricots from the Afghanistan meal and left over pine nuts from pesto that I made a while ago so shopping was very easy.  Almost everything besides the marmalade was in my pantry!

If you aren't a fan of pine nuts, you could substitute almonds.

Chicken

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs chicken thighs
• 2 T olive oil (divided)
• 3 shallots, finely chopped
• T 2 minced garlic
• 1 T peeled, grated ginger
• 1/4 t turmeric
• 1/4 t sweet paprika (Hungarian is okay, regular is not)
• Pinch of saffron threads (optional)
• 1 cup water
• 2 T marmalade or bitter orange preserves (I used Seville orange marmalade from Trader Joe's)
• 1 2-inch cinnamon stick
• 6 dried apricots, chopped
• 1 T thinly chopped flat left parsley or cilantro

Directions:

1. Brown the chicken in olive oil then remove from pan and put on a plate and set aside.
2. Saute the shallots in the oil from the chicken
3. Add the garlic, ginger, paprika and tumeric and stir for 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Return the chicken to the pan and coat it with the shallot mixture.
5. Add the water and saffron (if you are using it) and simmer for 30 minutes.
6. During this time, make the pine nuts.
7. Add the marmalade, apriots and cinnomon stick and parsley or cilantro.  Simmer another 10 minutes.
8. Remove the chicken from the pan once more and place in a warm spot.  Reduce the broth until it's a thick sauce.
9. Serve the chicken covered with sauce and pine nuts with couscous or bread.

The chicken all cooked up and waiting for the sauce to cook down

Yummy sauce

Roasted Pine Nuts

• 1 T olive oil
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1/4 t turmeric
• 1/4 t sweet paprika (Hungarian is okay, regular is not)

In a small skillet heat the olive oil.  Add the pine nuts, turmeric and paprika.  Saute until brown. This won't take more than a couple of minutes so be careful that you don't burn them.

Transfer to a plate.

References:

• http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chicken-Tagine-with-Apricots-and-Spiced-Pine-Nuts-241506
• http://travelbystove.palfreymedia.com/algeria-recipes-chicken-tagine-with-apricots-and-spiced-pine-nuts.asp