Moroccan Chicken With Tomatoes and Honey

This is one of Claudia Roden's and it is very good. I like to serve it with rice.

• Ready In: 1 hr 40 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1  large onion, grated
• 3  tablespoons  oil
• 1  large roasting chicken, in pieces
• 1  kg tomatoes, skinned and chopped
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ginger, ground
• 1  teaspoon cinnamon
• 1⁄2 teaspoon saffron or 1⁄2 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 -4  tablespoons clear honey
• 50  g  almonds, coarsely chopped, blanched
• 1  tablespoon sesame seeds
•  salt
• 1⁄4-1⁄2 teaspoon ground pepper (need to be lightly generous on the amount 1/4 - 1/2 t to complement the sweet flavours)

Directions

1. Heat 2 T oil in a large pan or pot. Add the chicken, tomatoes, ginger, cinnamon and saffron or turmeric.
2. Cover, and cook over low heat, stirring from time to time, for 1 hour.
3. Set oven at 400 deg F/200 deg Celsius.
4. Remove chicken from pot, and roast in oven to brown slightly.
5. Meanwhile, cook the sauce in the pot, uncovered, to thicken slightly. It should be like a sizzling cream. Stir all the time.
6. Then add the honey and stir in well.
7. Remove chicken from the oven, and return chicken to the pot. If the sauce is a nice consistency, turn heat very low so it does not reduce further.
8. Heat the leftover 1 T oil in a separate pan and add the almonds. Cook for a few moments only (it burns easily, so stir it) Then add the sesame seeds, and cook briefly as well, until lightly toasted.
9. Serve the chicken hot, covered with the sauce and sprinkled with the toasted nuts.