Roasted Chicken with Apricots

When I was growing up, we used to have a roasted chicken dinner on Sunday nights. I always thought it was such an effort to cook a whole chicken, and worried it would end up too dry. I was flipping through one of my older Food and Drink magazines (seriously the BEST magazine ever), and came across a recipe for roasted chicken, and apricots. It has a Moroccan flare to it. It is also super fast, and ready in about an hour.

So, the other day, I ran to the grocery store with my daughter to pick up a chicken. We were home by 3:45pm, the chicken was in the oven by 4:15pm, and supper was ready by 5:20pm, without much prepping required on my part.

MOROCCAN BAKED CHICKEN WITH DRIED APRICOTS AND LEMON

FOOD AND DRINK, EARLY SUMMER 2012

By: Lucy Waverman

You will want to use a small Dutch oven for this dish—one that fits the chicken fairly tightly. A larger pot may mean you need to thin the sauce slightly with more stock.

2 tsp (10 mL) ground ginger

½ tsp (2 mL) crushed red pepper flakes or to taste

2 tsp (10 mL) ground cumin

2 tsp (10 mL) paprika

1 tsp (5 mL) cinnamon

1 tsp (5 mL) turmeric

2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil

1 whole chicken

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 onions, thinly sliced

1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped garlic

2 tbsp (30 mL) lemon juice

½ cup (125 mL) chicken stock or water

½ cup (125 mL) sliced dried apricots

½ tsp (2 mL) grated lemon rind

2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped parsley

2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped fresh coriander

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

Combine ginger, red pepper flakes, cumin, paprika, cinnamon and turmeric in a small bowl. Set aside.

Heat oil over medium-high heat in an ovenproof casserole or Dutch oven that fits the chicken. Season chicken with salt and pepper.

Add chicken, breast-side down, and fry for about 2 minutes or until chicken is rowned. Turn and brown each side; finish with browning the back. Transfer to a plate and season with salt, pepper and 1 tbsp (15 mL) spice mixture. Drain any excess oil from pot, leaving 2 tbsp (30 mL).

Stir in onions and sauté about 3 minutes or until softened and reduced in volume. Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add remaining spice mixture and sauté until fragrant then add lemon juice, stock and dried apricots. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and return chicken to pan, cover and bake for 1 hour or until chicken is almost fully cooked. Remove cover and add lemon rind to sauce. Bake 10 minutes longer or until chicken juices run clear.

Remove chicken from pot. Stir parsley and coriander into sauce and adjust seasoning if necessary. Skim any fat.

Carve chicken and coat with sauce. Serve over couscous.

Serves 4




Lucy Waverman also has a great recipe for roasted chicken with sausage, and apples in her recipe book, A Year In Lucy's Kitchen. The thing with these recipes is that the chicken ends up being quite juicy, and tender. You do not have to woory about it drying out because it is in a covered Dutch oven. If you are not a fan of fruit with your meat, you might want to pass on this, otherwise, this is a tasty meal. My kids enjoyed the chicken, although I was careful to give them meat without too much spice on it.

 

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