Serves 4
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 30 min

150g stone-out dried apricots
Generous pinch of saffron
6 cardamom seeds
1 tbsp honey
Juice of 2 oranges
1 large onion, approx 200g
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 chicken stock cube
8 chicken thigh fillets, boned and skinned
Squeeze lemon juice
Sprigs of coriander to serve

METHOD Place the apricots in a pan with the saffron, lightly crushed cardamom seeds, honey and orange juice. Simmer gently, stirring until the honey dissolves, then cook covered, for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, peel, halve and finely slice the onion. Heat the oil in a large, lidded sauté or wide-based pan and stir in the onions. Season with 1/2 tsp salt, stir again, reduce the heat to very low, cover and cook for 10 minutes until slippery but hardly coloured. Move aside the onion and add the chicken, browning it for 5 minutes a side. Dissolve the stock cube in 300ml boiling water. Add apricots and stock to the pan, stir well, then simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Reheats perfectly, the apricot juices thickening the sauce. Serve with sprigs of coriander and coriander couscous.

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