Although this recipe has to cook for an hour, it is such an easy meal to prepare. Not much chopping, not a lot of stirring, just let the chicken cook down freeing up time for you to enjoy elsewhere. This recipe reheats really well the next day. The chicken fell right off the bone and had nice flavors from the wine and shallots; the contrast with sweet dates and apricots was really nice but maybe needed a bit of something salty to really bring this home- capers maybe… Overall very nice meal, great way to cook chicken for a change, and a perfect way to eat brown rice. Enjoy
Recipe serves 4
Adapted from Williams and Sonoma “Taste” cookbook
Ingredients
8 Chicken Thighs, bone in
salt and fresh ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
10 bay leaves
4 large shallots, cut in 1/4″ rounds or half moons
2/3 cup dry red wine
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
8 dried dates, pitted and halved
8 dried apricots, quartered
2 cups cooked brown rice
Directions:
1. If preferred, trim the fat and skin from the chicken. Rinse, pat dry, and season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot with a lid (to be used later) over medium-high heat.
3. Add chicken and bay leaves and cook until browned, about 7-10 minutes on each side. Add a 1/2 cup water, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 35-40 minutes.
4. Pour off pan juices and reserve. Pile chicken on one side of the pan, raise the heat to medium and add the shallots. Cook until the soften, about 2 minutes.
5. Add wine and vinegar, and scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Add dates and apricots, then redistribute the chicken in the pot.
6. Add the reserved liquid and simmer until chicken is heated through and tender, about 12-15 minutes.
7 Remove and discard bay leaves. Serve immediately over brown rice
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