Braised Chicken with Dates and Moroccan Spices

The blueprint for this recipe was published in Bon Appetit magazine a few months ago. It won terrific reviews on Epicurious.com and the ingredients appealed to me. I wasn't sure of the dates but was more than willing to give them a try. The main ingredients were shallots and chicken. What I wanted, though, was to incorporate veggies into the dish and reduce the amount of chicken to make it a one pot meal. I added zucchini, yellow squash and carrots and loved the results. Tasty, colorful and wonderful the next day, this recipe was a hit. Experiment with other veggies but be sure to use the shallots as they taste fantastic. I served the braise with brown basmati rice and lentils. The lentils were added to the rice during the last 30 minutes of cooking. The combination was great.

2 tbl. olive oil

1 1/2 lbs. chicken parts

8 shallots, peeled and halved

3 cinnamon sticks

1 1/2 tsps. ground ginger

1 tbl. ground cumin

1/8 tsp. cayenne

3 cups low sodium chicken broth

5 tbls. lemon juice-divided

2 medium zucchini, sliced 1/2 inch thick

2 medium yellow squash, sliced 1/2 inch thick

3 medium carrots, sliced 1/2 inch thick

8 dates, pitted, and quartered

1/4 cup almonds, toasted, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Add the oil to a 12 inch skillet and heat over medium high heat. Sprinkle the chicken parts with salt and pepper to taste and saute the chicken in the skillet, turning, until it is well browned, about 15 minutes. Remove the chicken to a bowl and drain off all but 1 tbl. of oil. Over medium heat, add the shallots to the skillet and saute until golden, about 6 minutes. Add the cinnamon sticks, ginger, cumin, cayenne and stir 1 minute.

Over high heat add the chicken broth and 3 tbls. lemon juice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until shallots soften, about 18 minutes. Put the chicken atop the shallots and add the zucchini, yellow squash and carrots. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and cover. Simmer about 30 minutes, stirring a few times, until the chicken and vegetables are tender.

Stir in dates, 2 tbls. lemon juice and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, remove the cinnamon sticks, sprinkle with almonds and cilantro and serve.

Serves 6