Moroccan Chicken with Figs

A fiend (thank you Amanda Portrait Painter) gave me a bag of figs this weekend, so that pretty much dictated Sunday night’s dinner challenge. Thus I give you Moroccan Chicken with Figs.

Pan sear 4-6 bone-in chicken thighs in olive oil, no need to cook through, just sear and set aside.

In the fond of the seat and remaining juices, add a couple tablespoons of butter. To this add a large, sliced red onion and a couple sliced shallots. Add slices of a red bell pepper. Dice up a handful of fresh rosemary and add. Grind in some black pepper.

Using a peeler, peel of some big, long pieces of an orange and a lemon. Add this. Thin slice about 5 cloves of garlic and add.

Cook this down to soften. It won’t take but a couple minutes.

Slice the tips off your figs and cut in half. You could use dry figs, but re-hydrate them first.

Add 3 or 4 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, and the a couple tablespoons of honey. Add a gentle hint of cumin. Add a couple tablespoons of dijon mustard and a tablespoon of crushed red pepper flakes. Pour in a couple of cups of chicken stock. The more you add, the more yummy sauce for bread dipping later.

Stir, and nest the chicken thighs. Pay on some rosemary sprigs. Cover and simmer. You could put this in a 350° oven, but it was a hot summer night and we didn’t want to heat up the kitchen.

Cook till the chicken is 175°. This would be fine just served in a flat bowl, but we pushed the chicken aside and put in a package of heart-of-palm rice. Let this absorb the juices and come to temperature. Meanwhile, toast some bread for dipping. Garnish with orange slices from the peel and squeeze on some of the juice from the orange.

The result is a delightful and healthy meal.