Chicken with Dates, Olives, and Cinnamon

This is outstanding!

One of the best chicken dishes ever. Ever!

Photo by Bruce Barone.

Note: The recipe calls for chicken thighs. I used boneless chicken breasts and I made this for two people; therefore, I cut the recipe by about two-thirds, give or take an olive ot two!

Ingredients

• 12 bone-in chicken thighs, skinned
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 4 cups sliced onion
• 1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 18 pitted manzanilla (or green) olives, chopped
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
• 2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup whole pitted dates, chopped
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

Preparation

• 1. Sprinkle chicken with pepper and salt. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a 10-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add 6 chicken thighs to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from pan. Repeat with remaining 1 tablespoon butter, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and remaining 6 chicken thighs.
• 2. Add onion and ginger to pan; sauté 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add olives; sauté for 1 minute. Add flour and the next 4 ingredients (through cinnamon stick); cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add broth; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook for 1 minute. Return chicken to pan. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook 12 minutes. Stir in dates; simmer 10 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in juice, and garnish with basil.

I served this with tri-color couscous cooked in homemade chicken stock and with a tablespoon of Sofrito; and roasted Asparagus with sesame seeds. And red wine. Cheers!

Cooking Light
OCTOBER 2011