A Taste of Africa...Chicken, Date and Honey Tagine

Ingredients

·       1 teaspoon salt

·       1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

·       ½ teaspoon ground saffron

·       2 teaspoons ground cumin

·       8 (1.2kg) chicken thigh cutlets

·       30g butter

·       1 tablespoon olive oil

·       1 large onion, chopped

·       1 cinnamon stick

·       1½ cups water

·       150g seedless dates

·       2 teaspoons honey

40g blanched almonds, toasted

·       Saffron couscous

·       2 cups chicken stock

·       pinch ground saffron

·       2 cups couscous

·       40g butter

Method

·       Rub combined salt, pepper, saffron and cumin onto the chicken, cover, refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

·       Heat butter and oil in a large pan, add chicken, cook until browned; remove from pan. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of oil from the pan, add onion and cinnamon to pan, cook, stirring, until onion is soft.

·       Return chicken to pan, add water, simmer, cover, about 30 minutes or until chicken is tender. Just before serving, add dates and honey, simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes or until slightly thickened.

·       Saffron couscous: Boil stock in a pan with saffron, remove from heat, stir in couscous, stand 5 minutes; fluff with a fork. Heat butter in a pan, add couscous, cook, stirring until combined.

·       Serve the tagine with saffron couscous, sprinkled with nuts.