Turmeric Chicken Tagine with Dried Fruit + Couscous

Place all of the stock in a pot over high heat and let it come to a boil.

Dice the chicken into 1-2” pieces. Place in a 9 x 13 casserole dish.

Cut the onion in half and peel it. Slice each half into thin half moon rings. Add to the chicken dish and drizzle it all with the olive oil.

Place casserole dish in the oven for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the spices (turmeric, cumin) in a small dish and add all but ½ a teaspoon of the salt. Zest the lemon into this dish then set the fruit aside for squeezing later in the recipe.

Measure the couscous into a bowl and stir in the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt. Cover top of the bowl with plastic wrap (or for bonus plastic-free points, wax paper or parchment secured with a rubber band, a silicon lid, bees wrap, or use a glass dish with a fitted tupperware lid. Basically, whatever you use, you need a tight seal on the dish with couscous in it).

Remove the lid and pour in the exact same amount of boiling stock as you have couscous (ie. for 4 servings: 1 cup of dry couscous and 1 cup of stock). Cover the dish as quickly as you can. Let this sit to steam for about 10-12 minutes.

Slide the casserole dish out of the oven and carefully add the spices to the chicken. Toss to coat evenly.

Add the honey to the rest of the chicken stock, then pour that over the chicken dish. Add the drained garbanzo beans, the currants and apricots as well. Stir carefully to combine and nestle everything down in an even layer. Return the dish to the oven, uncovered, and bake for about 15 minutes longer.

After the time has passed, open the lid and use a fork to scrape the grains and fluff the couscous. Add a squeeze of the lemon to this dish. You can cover again until ready to serve.

Carefully remove the pan from the oven. Squeeze the lemon into the sauce and if desired, stir in a pat of butter for richness. Plate the couscous in bowls. Top all generously with leaves and stems of torn or chopped cilantro.