Chicken With Prunes, Apricots And Honey

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 1/2 kg chicken pieces (we get "lovely legs" which are skinless drumsticks with the knuckle end cut off)
• 60 ml olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 pinch saffron thread
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 375 ml chicken stock
• 125 ml honey
• 125 g pitted prunes
• 125 g dried apricots, chopped
• 3 teaspoons sesame seeds
• 30 g butter
• 80 g blanched almonds
• 1 tablespoon thinly sliced preserved lemon (i probably use double this, because i love it so much. and i use lemon zest if i've run out!)

Recipe

• 1 heat the oil in a large pan, and brown the chicken pieces in batches.
• 2 pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the oil, and add the onion, cooking and stirring until soft.
• 3 stir in the spices and cook for 1 minute.
• 4 return the chicken to the pan, and toss to coat in the onion mixture.
• 5 add the stock and simmer, covered for 30 minutes or until the chicken is tender.
• 6 remove the chicken pieces from the pan; cover to keep warm.
• 7 add the honey, prunes and apricots to the pan, then simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly.
• 8 meanwhile, put sesame seeds in a small heated pan and cook, stirring over a medium heat until browned.
• 9 remove the seeds.
• 10 melt the butter in the same pan and cook almonsd, stirring until lightly browned.
• 11 return the chicken to the sauce, and cook covered until the chicken is hot.
• 12 serve sprinkled with sesame seeds, almonds and preserved lemon.