Moroccan Chicken Stew

I love a great one-pot dish you can keep simmering on the stove or in the oven all day long. But there's only so many pot roasts a girl can make. So I took to my pantry and grabbed a whole bunch of warm spices just perfect for this Moroccan Chicken Stew.

The flavor profile is truly unlike any other cuisine I'm accustomed to serving up. The broth is rich and warm without being overly heavy. The lemons and olives add much needed brightness to the dish. Plump raisins and apricots are subtly sweet. And the chicken is fall-apart tender!

I took some liberties adding butternut squash. But it seemed on-theme this time of year. Plus the squash brought creamy texture and sweet contrast to the spicy stew.

Traditionally, a Moroccan dish like this is served over couscous. If you're looking to go gluten free, I'd recommend a bit of steamed rice. Basically, you just need some kinda bed of starchy goodness to sop up all the delicious sauce.

Moroccan Chicken Stew

Ingredients

· 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

· Salt and pepper

· 2 tbsp olive oil

· 1 large onion, diced

· 1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed

· 4 garlic cloves, minced

· 1 tsp paprika

· 1 tsp coriander

· 1 tsp cumin

· ½ tsp turmeric

· ½ tsp ground ginger

· ¼ tsp cayenne pepper

· ½ tsp salt

· 2 tbsp tomato paste

· 1/3 cup dry white wine

· 2 cups chicken stock

· 1 cinnamon stick

· ¼ cup golden raisins

· ¼ cup dried apricots, chopped

· 1 lemon, sliced

· 1/3 cup pimento-stuffed green olives

· ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

Season each side of the chicken thighs liberally with salt and pepper.

Heat olive oil in a deep skillet over medium high heat. Place the chicken in the pan skin side down. Fry each piece of chicken until golden brown on both sides. Remove chicken and set aside. The chicken will not be fully cooked.

Reduce the heat to medium low. Add the onion, butternut squash, and garlic. Sautee until the onions are translucent. Add all spices and tomato paste. Fry the spices for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, scrapping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken stock, cinnamon stick, raisins, and dried apricots. Stir to combine.

Nestle each of the chicken thighs and lemon slices into the pan among the vegetables. Scatter the olives over the vegetables. Cover and bring to a hard simmer. Reduce the heat to low.

Simmer covered for at least 60 minutes or until the chicken is fork tender. Can continue to keep warm on the stove until ready to serve.

Serve the stew over cooked couscous or rice. Garnish with parsley.

Serves 4

GF Friendly

Gluten Free Friendly!