This is one of those dishes I’m inordinately proud of. I grew up on basic chicken—you know the kind—some salt, paprika, and pepper, an onion or two for good measure. The first time I spent Shabbat with a friend whose parents had immigrated to America from Morocco and I tasted the amazing combination of heady spices, savoury vegetables, sweet dried fruit, and the hint of acid, I was besotted. I worked for years trying to capture that perfect combination in my own kitchen. And this chicken recipe is the result.

I won’t lie, the browning of two chickens is work, and setting up so many ingredients is time-consuming. Two thoughts on this: the first, feel free to halve the recipe; and the second, this is one of those dishes that benefits from being prepared ahead of time. Rather than making it as you are cooking a multitude of other things, cook it a day or two before you plan on serving it and perhaps it won’t feel like too much work. Yet all of that said, it is worth it—this is one of those dishes that guests to our home request. It is that good!

TIP: I often brown my chicken before braising it. Some years ago, I bought a splatter guard and it has saved me in terms of clean-up and oil splatters in a major way. Follow this link to see what I am referring to.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 ½ teaspoons sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 8 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 5 teaspoons)
• 2 whole chickens, each cut into 8 pieces and trimmed of excess fat
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large onions, halved and cut into 1/4-inch slices (about 3 cups)
• 830ml (3 ½ cups) chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 3 medium carrot, peeled and cut crosswise into thin ‘coins’
• 285g (1 ½ cups) dried apricots, halved
• 1 x 400g (14 oz) tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from 1 to 2 lemons
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves

METHOD:

1. Brown the chicken: Season both sides of the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until very hot. Brown the chicken pieces, skin side down in a single layer, until deep golden, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, turn the chicken and brown the second side for about 4 minutes more. You will need to be patient and do this in batches. Remove the browned chicken to a side plate.
2. Sauté onions and spices: Check the amount of fat at the bottom of the pot—you should have about 2 tablespoons. If you have too much, discard some; if too little, add a bit more oil. Add the onions to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds. Add the spices and cook, stirring constantly, until darkened and very fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
3. Build the sauce: Stir in the chicken broth and honey, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits.
4. Add the chicken and vegetables: Return the thighs and drumsticks to the pot and reduce the heat to medium. Add the carrots, apricots, and breast pieces (with any accumulated juices), arranging the breast pieces in a single layer on top.
5. Cook: Cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through—about 30 minutes. (Either cut into a piece to check there’s no pink or use a thermometer.)
6. Add chickpeas and finish: Add the chickpeas to the pot and increase the heat to medium-high. Simmer until the liquid has thickened slightly. You can make the whole dish up to this point a day or two ahead— in fact, it tastes even better when reheated.
7. Before serving: Reheat the dish fully. Just before serving, stir in the coriander and lemon juice. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

MAKE AHEAD:

This dish benefits from being made ahead of time, as the flavour deepens, but can also be made and served straight away. To make ahead, cool completely and store in the fridge for up to three days until ready to reheat. I wouldn’t suggest freezing this dish, as the vegetables will become very soggy when thawed.