Moroccan Tagine of Chicken With Apricots

This is one of my favorite Moroccan dishes. Many people stay away from making Moroccan tagine dishes because they think you need a tagine pot to cook it in. This isn't so-- a dutch oven (such as a le creuset) works magnificently. The word tagine actually means "stew", so these tagine recipes are a reflection of the cooking method, not the pot. I cooked mine in my le creuset pot, and then served it in my tagine pot. If you've never dabbled in Moroccan cooking before, you must taste this delightfully sweet and savory tagine! Enjoy!

• Ready In: 14 hrs 45 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 2 1⁄2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 3  large garlic cloves, crushed (for marinade)
• 1⁄4 cup  orange juice
• 1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1⁄4 cup  chopped fresh cilantro
• 1  tablespoon  chopped of fresh mint
• 1  teaspoon ground cumin
• 1⁄8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1  medium yellow onion
• 1  large garlic clove, minced
• 3⁄4 cup  dried apricot, soaked overnight just covered by water
• 1⁄4 cup prune (that have been quartered)
• 2  cups  chicken stock
• 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

1. In a shallow non-metallic dish, mix the chicken with the crushed garlic, orange juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, cilantro, mint, cumin and nutmeg. Cover, and let marinate overnight (but give it a stir at least once).
2. In a large dutch oven, heat 2 TBS oil over med/ high heat. Halve the onion lengthwise and thinly slice it crosswise. Add the onion and the minced garlic to the pot, and stir until softened and cooked, but not browned. Remove from pot and set aside.
3. Add 1 more tablespoon of the oil and add the chicken, reserving the marinade. Brown the chicken in the pot and then add the onions, prunes, apricots and their soaking liquid, marinade, chicken stock and salt (tip: “rinse” the marinade dish with the chicken stock to ensure that all of the spices, etc, make it into the pot).
4. Bring to a boil, then immediately lower to a simmer and cover with a lid. Simmer for 2-2 1/2hours. Towards the end, remove the lid from the pot to allow the liquid to evaporate a little.
5. Serve warm and sprinkled with sesame seeds, if desired.