This Moroccan chicken recipe has juicy and tender meat that falls off the bone. The sauce is rich and tart, and the chicken is topped with olives, prunes, and dried apricots.
In a small bowl, mix together the salt, pepper, cumin, turmeric, and ras el hanout.
Whisk in the olive oil and tomato paste to form a wet rub.
In a large mixing bowl, rub the chicken with the wet rub, making sure to distribute it evenly.
In a dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat.
Place the chicken skin side down in the dutch oven (you should hear a sizzle, otherwise the oil is not hot enough), and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the skin has browned. Flip the chicken over and brown the other side for 3-4 minutes.
Pour the white wine over the chicken to deglaze the pan.
Squeeze the lemon quarters over the chicken and drop the rinds in the dutch oven.
Add the dried apricots, prunes, and olives to the mix and stir to incorporate (you want most of the dried fruit to be submerged in the cooking liquid).
Cover the dutch oven, turn the heat to low, and simmer for 1 hour.
To serve, arrange 1 chicken thigh directly on a plate or over rice and ladle the dried fruit, olives, and rind over the chicken. Spoon some of the cooking liquid over the whole chicken, and finish with slivered almonds.
Notes
Do not crowd the meat when browning the chicken. Cook in batches if necessary.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days or in the freezer for 4 months.
Reheat in a 350F oven for 12 minutes, or in the microwave in 30-second increments.