This recipe is inspired by my dad. Hi Dad!

Earlier this year we went on a climbing trip and my dad actually packed the entire list of ingredients for this recipe, along with his camping gear, and cooked it up on his wobbly camping stove. (You guys thought I was the foodie? Well take a look at how I cook while camping, compare it to this, and you'll see I'm no match).

I wanted to share this recipe today since it's Father's Day this weekend (plus, I've been working on a Tagine recipe for a while and it wasn't until I tasted his version again that I remembered exactly how I like it: full of veggies and spices).

Dutch Oven Chicken & Apricot Tagine

Published June 18, 2015 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 4-6 | Active Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 pound bone-in chicken thighs

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch fresh ginger, minced

1 onion, sliced

Salt for seasoning

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained

1 bell pepper, diced

2 large carrots, roughly chopped

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1/3 cup dried apricots or figs, cut in half or quarters (if using figs, remove the stems)

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Pinch of saffron threads

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F.
While oven heats, melt coconut oil in the bottom of an oven-safe dutch oven over medium-high heat on the stove. When oil glistens, place chicken thighs, skin-side down, in pan. Cook, without moving, for 3-5 minutes. Using tongs or a wooden spatula, flip chicken, and cook for another 3 minutes on the second side. Chicken should be golden and browned on the outside, but not yet cooked through. Set chicken on a plate and set aside.
Add garlic, ginger, and onion to pan. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent.
Pour broth into pot. Loosen any brown bits from the bottom of the pot using a wooden spatula. Add chickpeas, bell pepper, carrots, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, apricots or figs, and spices. Add a generous pinch of salt. Stir.
Place chicken thighs, skin side up, in the pot over the vegetables. Place lid on pot, and continue to cook in the oven for 30-35 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer reads 165°F when inserted into the middle of a chicken thigh. Remove lid from pot, and switch oven to low broil for 3-5 minutes, just until the top of the chicken begins to sizzle and turn brown. Remove pot from oven.
Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice, and garnish with cilantro and parsley. Serve over rice.