Ingredients
3 pounds chicken pieces -- skinned
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup prunes
2 large onions -- peeled and sliced
2 teaspoons cumin seed
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons garlic -- minced
2 tablespoons ginger -- peeled and minced
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

EXTRAS:
1 1/2 cups couscous -- uncooked
1 teaspoon ginger -- peeled and minced
1/4 cup cilantro -- chopped
1/3 cup almonds -- toasted, slivered

Instructions
1. Rinse chicken pieces and pat dry. Brown them in the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat for about 2 minutes per side; you may have to brown them in two batches. Transfer to the insert of the slow cooker and tuck the prunes among the chicken pieces. Add the onions and cumin seeds to the skillet and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until the onions are soft and the seeds are fragrant. Pour in the broth and add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, stir well, and pour it over the chicken and prunes. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 1/2 hours or until the chicken is very tender. Using a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken, prunes and onions to a serving platter. Mound in center of platter and keep warm by loosely covering with aluminum foil

2. Measure two cups of the cooking liquid into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the couscous , stir, cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes and fluff the couscous with a fork. Arrange it around the chicken on the platter and sprinkle the chicken with the ginger, cilantro and almonds. Pour over any leftover cooking juices.
MAKES 4 to 6 servings; COOK 4 to 5 hours on LOW; Slow cooker size: 4 quart.

Foible40 comments:
Absolutely delicious recipe! It took a while to slice the onions, mince the garlic and ginger and gather the spices, but it was really worth it. ...

I used half prunes and half apricots and I cut them each in half. We used a boxed Couscous mix, omitted the butter or oil, and used the chicken juice. I'm not sure which I liked better, the chicken/onions/fruit or the couscous. I doubled the chicken recipe and used all thighs. They were selling for 48 cents a pound, and I figured out the cost of each serving, including the couscous: about $1.50. We will have four more 2-person meals from this recipe, vacuum sealed in a FoodSaver, and we can pop a bag into simmering water. Couscous is easy to make while the chicken reheats.

Pat's comments:
This was good. If you don't like couscous, try a pilaf mix or rice... orzo with cilantro, even. there is a photo of my meal on the web (main page or on the cooking matters cookbook page)

I agree with "foible40". It was spicy, sweet, complex. A little dry. And made enough for four. Overall -- this felt like a Moroccan meal when we added the couscous and the side dish. It's not very colorful (or pretty on a plate) but it sure tastes good.

Dry? I could have ruined it since I didn't have time to fuss. The chicken survived my lazy method. It smelled and tasted great -- a little dry -- but that was expected because I used chicken breast fillets; the flat kind for sandwiches; about 22 ounces total (a half recipe).
First I put 3 whole carrots on bottom of oval 3 1/2 qt cooker. Scattered whole pitted prunes flavored with orange. Added the onions (raw). Put chicken on top (still frozen). Combine 1 cup broth with ground cumin, garlic, etc. and poured that over the top. Covered: cooked on HIGH for 90 minutes (because the chicken was frozen). Cooked on LOW for 3 hours. Switched to warm. Made the couscous with broth from the crockpot. Added chopped green onion; a few dried apricot halves, chopped; ginger and cilantro. Made side dish: sauteed chopped zucchini with dried herbs (Sadaf Sabzi Kookoo) and ground almonds. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4 1/2 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 1 Fruit; 3 1/2 Fat. NOTES : "Another winner on Emmy's Hit Parade. The flavors meld together to create a succulent, sweet and savory dish with tremendous flavor. This is a terrific party dish -- everyone loves its!" - Lora Brody (page 125); Emmy Clausing, recipe tester, developer.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING:

Per Serving (excluding unknown items) Calories 676
(40.5% calories from fat)
Total Fat 30g
Cholesterol 141mg mg
Protein 40g
Total Carbohydrate 60g
Dietary Fiber 6g
Sodium 518mg

Exchanges: 2 1/2 Grain(Starch)
4 1/2 Lean Meat
1/2 Vegetable
1 Fruit
3 1/2 Fat