Moroccan Chicken

Story:
Ben and I were able to have a week-long getaway in April. It was great! Ben, being the patriot that he is, has really wanted to go to Washington DC. Neither of us had ever been there, and we know it's a "must see." One of the biggest highlights of the week, however, was that we got to stay with my life-long friend Becky, her husband Mark, and their cute, cute little boy, Abram. They were excellent hosts and excellent company. They even had dinner ready for us every night when we got back from our adventures, regardless of the time. Mark cooked a few times, and this is one of the meals he prepared. I LOVED it.

(Note to my dinner group: I haven't actually MADE this meal yet, so I have no special "tips" to give you. Good luck!)

Ingredients:
1/2 t olive oil
2 lbs boneless, skinless thighs (or breasts)
2 C thickly sliced yellow onion
1 T fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 t ground cumin
1/2 t salt
1/2 t ground coriander
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t black pepper
4 cloves minced garlic
1 1/2 C chicken broth
1 (15.5 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 (7oz) package dried apricots, halved (about 1 1/3 cups)

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven (I'll just use a skillet, I guess) over medium-high heat.

Add half of the chicken to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, browning on all sides.
Remove chicken from the pan and repeat with the remaining chicken.

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

Remove chicken from the pan with a slotted spoon; cool slightly.

Cut chicken into bite-sized

pieces.  Add chicken, chickpeas, ad apricots to the pan.  Cover and simmer 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated.  Serve with couscous.

(Yield 8 servings, about 3/4 C each)