Chicken with Tomatoes, Apricots, and Chickpeas

I have to say, I'm a big fan of meals that can be cooked in one single dish. You know, those one-skillet-wonders that take 30 minutes or less, and leave you with barely any dishes to clean up afterward? While those types of meals are great for when I'm on the way back from sitting in a cubicle all day or, (more recently) the all-consuming life of a graduate student/English instructor, such meals can in fact be the only thing that make it possible to cook a great meal for yourself at home versus succumbing to expensive takeout or the wonderland that is the Trader Joe's frozen food aisle. 

This gem of a chicken dinner was actually first discovered and cooked by my husband Stuart. It was memorable not because of the unusual role-reversal -- since he's usually the one on dish duty and I'm cooking -- but because this is such a great chicken dish with really nice flavors. The flavors of tomatoes, apricots, garbanzo beans, and spices combine with the chicken to make this extra delicious. Be careful though, because a time or two we've been a liiiittle heavy handed with the cayenne pepper and you do not want your eyes watering while you savor this dish, unless you are in fact the type of I-love-spicy person who enjoys crying into your plate. We like to serve it with cous cous, which does mean another pot to wash but only takes a few minutes to whip up.

Ingredients:

4 boned, skinned chicken breast halves

Kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes

1/3 cup chopped dried apricots

1 tablespoon sugar

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 can (15.5 oz.) chickpeas (garbanzos), drained and rinsed

Preparation:

      1. Sprinkle chicken breasts all over with salt and pepper.

      2. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, then add cumin, coriander, and cayenne; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add chicken and cook until golden brown on underside, about 3 minutes. Turn and cook until brown on other side, about 3 more minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

      3. Stir tomatoes, apricots, sugar, and garlic into the pan used to cook the chicken (retain juices and spices). Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and return chicken to pan. Cook, covered, until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Stir in chickpeas and parsley, and cook until heated through. Serve with rice or cous cous.