Moroccan Chicken

I did some adventurous cooking tonight for dinner. My husband took a trip last May to Morocco, and said he really liked the tagines they had. I had never had a traditional tagine, so I didn't really know what I was looking for in flavor. I had found a recipe for easy chicken tagine by Rachel Ray that I have been meaning to try. But, I also wanted to see how the recipe compared to other chicken tagine recipes. Rachel Ray's recipe used prunes in it, and lets face it....those are only used for one reason and one reason only. I had bought some dried apricots instead, and decided to take several elements from a few different recipes, and we have a winner. To put it simply this dish is flavor packed chicken over rice or cous cous. Don't be afraid of the use of some of the ingredients, trust me. After having this tonight, I jumped right onto the blog so that I would have it typed down somewhere. I definitely see myself making this in the future. P.S. the little boys loved it as well.

I don't have a picture of the meal, so here is a picture my husband took in Morocco...:)

Moroccan Chicken

1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/4 tsp salt
3 tbs olive oil
3 large chicken breast butterflied or 4-5 small chicken breast (3 lbs.)
1 tbs butter
1 onion, sliced in half, and then sliced 1/4 inch thick
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 c water or chicken broth (I added water and then 1 1/2 tsp. chicken bullion)
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 tbs tomato paste
1 tbs honey
1/2 c dried apricots (cut into 4th's)
1/4 c raisins
1 tomato, chopped

In a bowl, stir together first 5 spices, add 1 tbs olive oil to the spices, and then add chicken to coat well. In a large skillet heat the rest of olive oil and butter in a skillet, brown chicken on both sides (don't worry if it's not done all the way through). Remove chicken to a plate. Add onion, and 1/4 tsp salt. Cook onion until soft, about 8 minutes. Add garlic, cook for a couple of minutes. Add water and bullion, using a wooden spoon scrape up any brown bits on the pan. Add tomato paste and honey, stir. Add chicken, 1/4 cup cilantro, raisins, and apricots. Cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes. Serve over hot white rice or Cous Cous. Top with fresh tomato and cilantro.