Chicken with Chickpeas and Olives

This Moroccan-inspired dish with chickpeas surpassed my expectations for it's flavor which was a good thing after my so-so chickpea dish earlier this week.

The way the cumin, cinnamon & honey blend together to create a smoky, sweet flavor was just fabulous. I was a little afraid it would be overly sweet but not at all & the brininess of the olives is a nice play against that sweetness. There is also a lot of nice textures here especially with the chopped pistachios sprinkled on top. I almost didn't make couscous to serve this on but it really needed something to soak up the sauce so I'm glad I did. I had originally planned to add some golden raisins to this dish too but then thought maybe they'd be too much but both Matt & I decided while eating it that they actually would have been pretty good.

Chicken with Chickpeas and Olives

1/2 T olive oil
3 boneless chicken thighs (about 10 oz), cut into bite-size pieces (We used chicken thighs instead of breasts in dishes like this because we feel like they have a lot more flavor plus they're cheaper!).
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 t cumin
pinch cinnamon
salt & pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
7 1/2 oz chickpeas, drained & rinsed if canned or precooked until tender if using dried.
1 c water
1 T tomato paste
1 T honey
12 large green pitted olives (we used olives stuffed with sun dried tomatoes), cut in half or leave whole
2 servings of cooked couscous (1/2 c dry)
1 T chopped pistachios

In a heavy soup pot bring the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and onion. Stir in the cumin, cinnamon & a generous amount of salt & pepper. Cook for 4 - 5 minutes until the chicken is browned & the onion is tender. Stir in the garlic & cook for another 30 seconds. Add the chickpeas, water, tomato paste, honey & olives. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer & let cook for 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through & the sauce has thickened slightly. Stir occasionally while cooking.

Serve over cooked couscous & sprinkle with the chopped pistachios.

2 servings.

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