Braised Chicken with Tomatoes and Honey

This dish is a specialty of the Moroccan Jews. The sweetness of the honey
and the cinnamon strengthens the heady aroma of the saffron, which colors
the sauce bright orange rather than red like the tomatoes. I use skinless,
boneless chicken breasts rather than a whole chicken in this recipe, which
is nontraditional.

Preparation Time: 1-1/4 Hours
Servings: 8

4 tablespoons olive oil
8 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (4 chicken breasts halved, about 2
pounds)
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 cup chicken stock
10 large, meaty tomatoes, peeled and seeded or two 24-ounce cans good
quality tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads dissolved in 1/4 cup boiling chicken stock
1/3 cup thick honey (citrus honey is best)
2 sticks cinnamon
1 One-inch piece fresh gingerroot, peeled
1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds

\Heat 4 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat in a deep, wide saute pan
that has a tight-fitting lid. Brown the chicken breasts on both sides and
set aside.
Saute the onions in the same oil until soft and translucent (5-7
minutes). Reduce the heat and deglaze with 1/2 cup chicken stock, scraping
up browned bits with a wooden spoon.
Add the tomatoes and cook until they begin to soften, stirring every once
in a while. Add the saffron and honey. Stir well to dissolve. Add the
cinnamon sticks and gingerroot.
Return the chicken breasts to the pot, making sure they are covered with
sauce. Turn the heat down to simmer and cover the pan with foil. Then
cover
it with its lid. Cook 50 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a skewer
or toothpick into the meat. If juice runs yellow meat is done.
While the chicken is cooking, toast the almonds by cooking them in a dry
cast-iron skillet over medium heat or on a cookie sheet in a pre-heated
oven
at 350 degrees until nicely browned.

Remove the cinnamon sticks and gingerroot before serving. The tomatoes
will have dissolved into a nice sauce. Pass the sauce through a sieve to
smooth it out before serving. If you used canned tomatoes, this has the
added advantage of removing the seeds. Serve one chicken breast per
person, covered with some of the sauce and sprinkled with toasted almonds.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve this dish with couscous or saffron rice pilav. Precede it with a
selection of Moroccan salads and appetizers. Sweet Carrot Salad, Roasted
Eggplant Salad Arabic Style, Roasted Pepper Salad with Simple Lemon
Vinaigrette and Buleymas filled with spinach are good choices.


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