a new favorite: Chicken with Tomatoes and Apricots

i found this recipe in Sunset magazine and altered it a bit, as i had only dried chickpeas, rather than the canned variety, and didn’t have enough time to cook the peas and eat them in the same evening. (the original title is, “Chicken with Tomatoes, Apricots, and Chickpeas.”)

instead of chickpeas, i opted for a cup of brown rice, which may end up being the starch future servings require. the apricots and the seasonings offered a smoky sweetness that was both unusual and savory. next time i’ll experiment with more sauce–it was thick and delicious, but needed about half as much more to really soak into the brown rice.

ingredients:

• 4 boned, skinned chicken breast halves (about 2 lbs. total)
• Kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes
• 1/3 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can (15.5 oz.) chickpeas (garbanzos), drained and rinsed (i substituted a cup of brown rice, cooked separately)
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

1. Rinse chicken breasts, pat dry, and sprinkle all over with salt and pepper.

2. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, then add cumin, coriander, and cayenne; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add chicken and cook until golden brown on underside, about 3 minutes. Turn and cook until brown on other side, about 3 more minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

3. Stir in tomatoes, apricots, sugar, and garlic. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and return chicken to pan. Cook, covered, until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Stir in chickpeas and parsley, and cook until heated through.