Spiced Chicken Legs with Apricots & Raisins

I really love chicken. I don't know if it's possible to love something too much, but it is possible that the boys are getting a bit tired of it. Even though it's been at least a week or maybe two since we had any, there was some complaining when I announced "chicken." No matter, it's what's for dinner tonight. I'm sure they will "like" it again once I convince them to taste it.

So tonight, I turned again to chicken, it's just easy. This recipe is from my Food & Wine Quick from Scratch Chicken Cookbook, because although I wanted to serve a good meal, I didn't want to spend much time on it. Funny how that works sometimes.

The chicken wasn't quite thawed when I started, so it took me just a bit longer. Also, the apricots were quite dry, once I finally and very carefully quartered them, I added them with the onions to soften them longer, and it worked! The apricots were just right, adding a slightly sweet tang.

The boys liked the chicken, as I predicted, and I thought it was decent. It certainly wasn't fabulous, but it was good, and worth making again sometime.





Spiced Chicken Legs with Apricots & Raisins

Fruity and peppery, this exotic dish will perk up your midweek menu. Yet it's no more trouble than the simplest chicken recipe in your repertoire. Prep time: 6 minutes Cook time: 35 minutes Serves: 4

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 chicken thighs
4 chicken drumsticks
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/4 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2/3 cup dried apricots, quartered
1/4 cup dark or golden raisins
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1. In a large, deep frying pan, heat the oil over moderately high heat. Season the chicken thighs and drumsticks with 1/4 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. Cook the chicken until browned, turning, about 8 minutes in all. Remove. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pan.

2. Reduce heat to moderately low. Add the onion and garlic to the pan; cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion starts to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the broth, the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, the allspice and red pepper flakes. Add the chicken, apricots and raisins. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat, and simmer the chicken, partially covered, until just done, about 20 minutes. Serve topped with the parsley.