Chicken with Apricots and Olives

Serve with a side of orzo, rice or couscous.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup dried apricots
• 1/3 cup drained olives (kalamata or nicoise)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp grated orange peel (I leave this out unless I have an orange handy)
• 1 tsp dried basil (I leave this out too)
• 4 chicken legs (I used breasts)
• freshly ground pepper
• 2 tbs dained capers
• 2 tbs brown sugar
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar

(Note: I usually alter this recipe by leaving out the black pepper and basil and throwing in tiny amounts of spices that taste more Moroccan, i.e. - ginger, coriander, cinammon, etc. It is flavorful even without any spices so it doesn't need much)

Instructions

In slow cooker, combine apricots, olives, garlic, orange peel, and basil. Rinse and pat dry chicken, and arrange on top of apricot mixture. Sprinkle with black pepper, capers and brown sugar; drizzle with orange juice and vinegar. Cover and cook on low setting until tender (approximately 6 hours).

Lift chicken, apricots and olives out of slow cooker with slotted spoon. Keep warm. Skin and discard fat from cooking liquid. Put liquid in a small pan and bring to a boil until reduced to 1/2 cup. Pour sauce over chicken. Garnish with orange slices and parsley sprigs. (I leave out this entire part. I use breasts so there is little fat. I use the liquid as is).