Chicken and apricot spicy stew

Chicken and apricot spicy stew

I surprised myself with this recipe! I've never been one for mixing sweet and savoury (in fact I actively avoid it at all possible costs) but I thought I'd break from tradition for this recipe as Mr Kate loves a fruity stew! Aren't I good to him?!

The inspiration came from an old school friend on my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/DomesticGoddessingOnAShoestring - I'd asked for people's favourite chicken dishes (after my huge #SOS chicken haul last night) and Nicki suggested fruity chicken using apricots. As luck would have it, not only did I have a mountain of #SOS chicken to use, I also had a punnet of #SOS apricots! Bingo!

After a rifle through some recipe books for further inspiration, I decided on a lovely little recipe from a BBC Good Food Magazine book - 101 Low-Fat Feasts. The recipe called for dried apricots which I substituted for fresh apricots and chicken thighs which I changed for breast. Other than those changes, I pretty much followed the recipe to the letter - a rarity for me!

Here's how to make it:

1) Heat a glug of olive oil in a large saucepan and add a sliced onion to slowly soften for a few minutes.
2) Add diced chicken breast and fry over a low heat for a few minutes more.
3) Sprinkle two teaspoons of plain flour onto the chicken along with two teaspoons of ground cumin, two teaspoons of ground coriander and one teaspoon of paprika. Give it all a good stir.
4) Turn the heat up higher and slowly add one pint of chicken stock, stirring well.
5) Simmer for 15 minutes.
6) Add the apricots and simmer for another 10 minutes or so.
7) Serve!

We had the stew with some fresh coriander sprinkled on top, #SOS boiled potatoes and runner beans from Mr Kate's Uncle Gerald's veg patch. However this would be great served with rice to soak up the sauce. Total cost approx £3!

And as for my aversion to sweet and savoury... I am cured by this dish! I loved it and would certainly cook it again. Mr Kate is delighted!