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125 g pancetta, or 6 slices bacon
284-mL can undiluted chicken broth
16 skinless, boneless chicken thigh
1/2 cup dried apricots
6 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp hot-red-chili-flakes
1 tsp dried oregano
3 bay leaves
2 large onions, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 1/2 cups large pitted green olives, thickly sliced
1/2 cup chopped mint
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Preheat oven to 300F (150C). If using pancetta, cut into 1/2-in.- (1-cm-) thick slices, then cut slices crosswise into thick pieces. If using regular bacon, simply chop. Lightly coat a large, wide ovenproof saucepan with vegetable oil and set over medium heat. Cook pancetta, stirring often, until crisp, about 5 min. Add broth. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up and stir in any brown bits from pan bottom. Stir in chicken, apricots, garlic and seasonings. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring often. Meanwhile, prepare onions and slice olives, then stir in. If your saucepan can't go in the oven, turn chicken mixture into a casserole dish. Tightly cover.
Bake in centre of oven until chicken is hot and cooked through, 1 to 11/2 hours, stirring halfway through. Sprinkle with mint and cilantro. Great over basmati rice or couscous. If making ahead, cover and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.
Calories 300, Protein 25g, Carbohydrates 11g, Fat 18g, Fibre 3g, Sodium 905mg.
This Moroccan-style stew melds bold flavours with fiery heat and tastes even better if you prepare it a day or two before serving.
Pancetta (pan-CHET-uh) is an Italian-style bacon, cured with salt and spices but not smoked. Look for it in the deli section of your supermarket. If you can't find it, regular bacon works just as well.