Spiced chicken stew
We’ve used thigh fillets as they stay juicier than breast meat.
SERVES 6 PREP 20min COOK about 30min
• 1tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely sliced
• 400g (14oz) butternut squash (peeled weight), cut into 2.5cm (1in) pieces
• 500g (1lb 2oz) chicken thigh fillets, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1tsp ground ginger
• Few pinches saffron
• 1 cinnamon stick
• ½tsp ground turmeric
• 500ml (17fl oz) chicken stock
• 200g (7oz) cherry tomatoes
• 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 50g (2oz) blanched almonds, very roughly chopped
• 75g (3oz) ready-to-eat dried apricots, chopped to serve
• 60g (2½oz) feta cheese, crumbled
• 4tbsp pomegranate seeds
• Large handful fresh coriander or parsley, roughly chopped
1 Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat and fry the onion and squash for 5min until they begin to caramelise.
2 Add the chicken and spices to the onion pan and fry for a few minutes. Stir in the stock, tomatoes, chickpeas, almonds, apricots and plenty of seasoning. Bring to boil, then turn down heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15-20min until chicken is cooked through and the squash is tender. Check the seasoning.
3 Spoon into a large dish and garnish with feta, pomegranate, and herbs. Serve with couscous, if you like.
PER SERVING: (WITHOUT COUSCOUS) CALS 433; FAT 25g; SAT FAT 6g; CARBS 24g