Moroccan Chicken Thighs

Inspired by North African tagines, this aromatic dish uses skinless, boneless chicken thighs and is ready in a little over an hour. This braise tastes best with dried California apricots; they're brighter and slightly more sour than Turkish ones. Serve over couscous, and garnish with a cilantro sprig for color.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup)

Ingredients

• 1/2  teaspoon  olive oil
• 2  pounds  skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• 2  cups  thinly sliced yellow onion
• 1  tablespoon  minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1  teaspoon  ground cumin
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground coriander
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 4  garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2  cups  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1  (15 1/2-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
• 1  (7-ounce) package dried apricots (about 1 1/3 cups), halved

Preparation

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add half of chicken to pan; cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove chicken from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken.

Add onion to pan; sauté for 3 minutes or until tender. Add ginger and next 6 ingredients (through garlic); sauté for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Stir in broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Return chicken to pan; bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour or until chicken is tender.

Remove chicken from pan with a slotted spoon; cool slightly. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add chicken, chickpeas, and apricots to pan. Cover and simmer 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

301 (29% from fat)

Fat:

9.7g (sat 2.5g,mono 3.8g,poly 2.2g)

Protein:

24.5g

Carbohydrate:

28.2g

Fiber:

5.2g

Cholesterol:

76mg

Iron:

2.7mg

Sodium:

397mg

Calcium:

53mg