Syrian Spice Delight Crockpot Chicken

I developed this while trying to create a crockpot friendly Chicken dish made with ingredients similar to those in some Moroccan and Syrian recipes I've seen... I needed something I could prepare in bulk for a holiday party. I only used 1 onion and diced it to make it more kid-friendly. I'm happy with the results and the feedback from the group was VERY positive. Hope you enjoy it!

• Ready In: 4 hrs 40 mins
• Serves: 16-20
• Yields: 3/4 cup

Ingredients

• 4  tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 5 1⁄2-6  lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, visible fat removed, cut into bite sized pieces & or
•  boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 -2  large sweet onion, sliced (or diced)
• 6 -8  large garlic cloves, minced
• 2  cups  pitted prunes, quartered
• 1⁄3-2⁄3 cup  apricot preserves (more for sweeter entree)
• 1⁄4 cup honey
• 1  tablespoon ground ginger
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1  teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4  teaspoons ground cumin
• 4  teaspoons ground coriander
• 1  teaspoon white pepper
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 5  teaspoons chicken bouillon
• 2 -3  cups water
• 1⁄2 cup lemon juice
• 3  cinnamon sticks, 3 inch pieces

Directions

1. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces, removing all visible fat.
2. Heat 3 TB olive oil to med-high in large skillet to cook chicken pieces. When cooked through (~10 minutes); transfer to crockpot (set at High to cook in 3-4 hours or Low to cook 8+ hours).
3. While chicken cooks, slice/dice onion.
4. Heat remaining 1 TB olive oil to med-high in same skillet and saute onion until translucent (~5 minutes); transfer to crockpot, mixing in well.
5. In 1 quart mixing bowl combine: Minced garlic, prunes, apricot preserves, honey, ginger, turmeric, ground cinnamon, cumin, coriander, white and black pepper, salt, chicken bullion. Add 2 cups water and mix thoroughly; pour over chicken-onion mix in crockpot and stir to combine. Can add additional cup of water, if more soup-y consistency is desired.
6. Stir in lemon juice and cinnamon sticks, cover and let cook desired time (3-4 hours at High, 8+ hours at Low). Can be served soup-y over rice or couscous, left cooking longer to thicken sauce OR --.
7. OPTIONAL QUICK THICKENING: after cooking time, turn crockpot to low; drain liquid to large-ish sauce pan (leave a bit in crockpot to keep chicken/etc. from sticking). Bring to boil and cook 'till reduced to gravy like consistency. Place chicken on platter and serve with rice or couscous and sauce on the side.