A guest from out of town, a chicken in my fridge and two new Moroccan cookbooks provided the occasion for a new Moroccan-inspired chicken recipe:

You will need:

For the chicken:
1 whole chicken (obviously)
1 onion, sliced thinly
1 tomato, chopped
1 small bunch cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted
Chicken broth or water
Generous amounts of salt, pepper, paprika, ginger, cumin, and turmeric
Splash of lemon juice

For the dried fruit:

1/2 cup dried apricots
1/4 cup dried pomegranate seeds (try Trader Joe’s)
1/4 cup golden raisins
Tablespoon sesame seeds
A pinch of saffron
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 inch fresh ginger, grated

First place all the dried fruit items in a small saucepan; cover with water and simmer on low heat till it reduces into a syrupy coated mixture of deliciousness. Set aside.

In the meantime, throw all the chicken items except for the lemon juice into a larger pot, cover with water (and/or chicken broth, if you’ve got some on hand), and bring to a boil, and cook, covered, on medium low heat for about an hour (maybe a little more), flipping over the chicken after 30 minutes. After an hour, remove the lid and cook on high till most of the liquid has boiled off.

Serve the chicken on a large platter and top with the dried fruit mixture. Splash just a bit of lemon juice all over the dish – this helps cut through the richness and sweetness of the fruit just a bit.

Serve with fresh flatbread.