Baked chicken with apricots and almonds

SERVES 4

Ingredients:

8 chicken pieces, skin on, about 1¾lb (800g) in total

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

pinch of ground ginger

1 cinnamon stick

1 x 15½oz (439g) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

4 cups hot chicken stock

handful of whole blanched almonds

handful of dried apricots

handful of fresh cilantro, finely chopped

juice of 1 lemon

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

couscous, for serving

harissa, for serving

Method:

1 Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Season the chicken well with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with the cinnamon. Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a large flameproof casserole over medium-high heat. Working in batches if necessary, add the chicken pieces, skin-side down, and cook for about 5–10 minutes, turning once, until golden all over. Remove and set aside.

2 Reduce the heat to medium, and add the remaining oil, onion, and a pinch of salt to the casserole. Cook for 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic, ginger, and cinnamon stick, and cook for few seconds. Stir in the chickpeas.

3 Return the chicken to the casserole and pour in the stock. Bring to a boil, and add the almonds and apricots. Cover and bake for about 1 hour until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce begins to thicken.

4 Stir in the cilantro, and squeeze with the lemon juice. Serve hot with fluffy couscous and harissa.

Baked chicken with apricots and almonds