CHICKEN WITH APRICOT, TAMARIND AND CHIPOTLE SAUCE

Chicken With Apricot, Tamarind and Chipotle Sauce image

This Passover dish from Patricia Jinich came to The Times in 2009. For Ms. Jinich, who grew up in Mexico, one of 40,000 to 50,000 Jews, European and Mexican influences ran through Passover and holiday cooking: chicken soups with matzo might feature jalapeños, while meat stews were paired with salsa. Ms. Jinich learned this recipe from Flora Cohen, a woman of Syrian background who taught her and other Jewish brides in Mexico City how to cook. Here, a combination of dried apricots and apricot preserves give this chicken a savory sweetness, while chipotles in adobo add a little heat.

Provided by Joan Nathan

Time 1h

Yield 6 to 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 10

Ingredients

1 chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1/2 cup kosher for Passover vegetable oil
3/4 cup dried apricots, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons apricot preserves
3 tablespoons tamarind concentrate
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons sauce from chipotles in adobo
1 or more chipotle peppers from chipotles in adobo, optional

Steps:

Season chicken well with salt and pepper. Place a large heavy skillet over high heat and add oil. Add chicken pieces skin side down in a single layer. Reduce heat to medium and slowly brown, turning occasionally, until browned evenly on all sides.
Pour 4 cups water over chicken, raise heat to medium-high, and bring to a simmer. Stir in dried apricots, apricot preserves, tamarind, sugar and chipotle sauce, including 1 or more chipotle peppers if desired for more heat.
Simmer, adjusting heat as necessary, until sauce has thickened enough to coat chicken, about 30 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 451, UnsaturatedFat 23 grams, Carbohydrate 21 grams, Fat 31 grams, Fiber 1 gram, Protein 22 grams, SaturatedFat 6 grams, Sodium 362 milligrams, Sugar 17 grams, TransFat 0 grams