Grab your passport and I’ll take you on a trip to Morocco. With restrictions on travel, you can rustle up this delicious dish in your back garden and pretend you are on holiday. I cooked this on my Kadai Firebowl, using ingredients you might have in your cupboards, so no need to rush out and buy lots of ingredients. The main spice is harissa paste, which gives a spicy chilli hit with flavours of lemon and garlic. It would work well with lamb too. Crack open a beer, fire up and get cooking.

Ingredients

4 large chicken thighs or 8 small ones

Olive oil for frying

1 large onion, finely chopped

Piece of fresh root ginger, finely grated

1 cinnamon stick

100g dried apricots, chopped

2 tsp harissa paste

2 tbsp honey

1 tin chopped tomatoes

Salt & pepper

Chopped parsley, coriander or spring onions to garnish

Method

1. Take a large skillet pan (or a tagine dish) and put in a little olive oil. Add in the chopped onion, cinnamon stick and grated ginger. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring to make sure it doesn’t stick to the pan. 

2. Add in the chicken thighs. Give everything a mix and then add in the chopped apricots. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Pour in some water, enough to cover the base of the dish. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. In a jug, mix the tin of chopped tomatoes, harissa paste and honey together then pour onto the chicken. You might wish to cover the pan with tinfoil or a lid so the chicken can cook through and the flavours can develop. Stir now and then and make sure the sauce doesn’t dry out. Add a little more water if necessary.  

5. Once the chicken is cooked, check for seasoning and sprinkle with the garnish.

6. Serve with homemade flatbreads or a roasted vegetable couscous, which you could cook while you are watching the chicken.

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