Apricot Chicken

You know you've fallen behind on recipes when you go to post the backlog and your first thought is "oh, that was this week?" This recipe came about because apricots were on sale. The original calls for dried apricots, but I think it cooks very nicely with fresh as well. This isn't my favourite recipe from this book, but it is something a bit different. The fruit, tamarind, and chiles all balance each other very nicely. I was more than happy to have leftovers of this dish. We found the original (below) just a tad on the salty side, so you might want to adjust the salt down a bit. The original also includes potato straws on top, but I skipped those.

One year ago: Spring Vegetable Pasta
Two years ago: Potato Pesto Pasta

Apricot Chicken (slightly adapted from 660 Curries)

Ingredients
8 - 10 apricots, quartered
2 tbsp ghee or canola oil
1 medium red onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
4 slices of ginger cut into thin matchsticks (1.5"x1"x1/8", julienned)
4 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 green Thai, cayenne, or serrano chiles, stems removed, cut into 1/4" slices
1 chicken, skin removed and cut into 8 pieces (or just use your favourite cut)
1 tbsp Bin bhuna hua garam masala
2 tsp coarse salt (see notes above)
1/4 tsp distilled white vinegar
2 tbsp crumbled jaggery or dark brown sugar
2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro for garnish

1. Heat ghee in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, ginger, garlic, and chiles and cook, stirring until light brown, 5 - 8 minutes.
2. Add chicken, garam masala, and salt. Brown meat, 5 - 8 minutes.
3. Add apricots, vinegar, and jaggery. Scrape skillet to deglaze.
4. Once it comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, turning occasionally and basting until meat is cooked though, 20 - 25 minutes.
5. Transfer chicken to serving platter and top with sauce and cilantro.