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Moroccan Chicken with Apricots and Butternut Squash

I made this for dinner tonight.  It is really really yummy.  If there’s one thing that you have to make from my blog, it is this recipe.  I was not COMPLETELY excited about this dish because of the apricots because I like savory things to stay savory and sweet things to stay sweet, but I gave it a try and kept the recipe as it was written and boy was I surprised! 

This made six servings, but we ended up having a serving and a half each!  Ooops!  Good thing this is a WeightWatchers recipe and it wasn’t unhealthy!  Probably half this dish is veggies and the 1/4 of the dish is protein and the other 1/4 is a carb.  So all in all not too bad right? 

Please try this out!  It is sooo good, you won’t regret it!  This is supposed to be a one-pot meal, but I realized the pan I was cooking it in on the stove-top wasn’t meant to be put in the oven over 350 degrees and this recipe called for it to be at 400 degrees so I transferred it over to a Pyrex dish. 

Here is the recipe since I can’t directly link to WeightWatchers. 

Ingredients

• 1 tsp table salt, or to taste   
• 1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground     
• 1 pound(s) uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast(s), four 4 oz pieces   
• 3 spray(s) cooking spray   
• 2 tsp olive oil   
• 1 tsp ground cumin, or to taste   
• 1 tsp ground coriander, or to taste   
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, or to taste     
• 1 large uncooked vidalia onion(s), chopped     
• 2 cup(s) uncooked butternut squash, peeled and cut into1/2-inch cubes (about 3/4 lb)   
• 3/4 cup(s) uncooked jasmine rice, or basmati rice, rinsed   
• 16 halves dried apricot halves, roughly chopped   
• 1 1/2 cup(s) canned chicken broth, or more if needed   
• 1/4 cup(s) cilantro, fresh, minced   

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
   
   
2. Rub salt and pepper all over chicken; set aside.
   
   
3. Coat a large oven-proof pot with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Add oil; heat until it begins to shimmer. Add cumin, coriander and cinnamon; cook until fragrant, stirring, about 30 second to 1 minute. Add chicken; cook until lightly browned, flipping once, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side. Remove chicken to a plate; set aside.
   
   
4. Add onion and squash to pot, scraping down sides and bottom of pot to incorporate pan drippings. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions start to turn translucent and squash begins to soften, about 10 minutes. Add rice and apricots; place browned chicken on top. Pour in broth; bring to a boil for 1 minute.
   
   
5. Cover pot and bake in oven until rice and squash are tender and chicken is cooked through, checking half way through to see if more broth is needed, about 20 to 25 minutes.  Sprinkle with cilantro before serving.

Yields about 2 cups (including a piece of chicken) per serving.

P.S.  I just snuck an extra bite before I put the leftovers into the fridge and OMG it is so freaking good!  I think if I really had no self control, I would honest to goodness sit here while watching Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and finishing the remainder of the dish… is that not normal?  :)

P.P.S. Do not shy away from this recipe just because it is WeightWatchers.  I swear to you it doesn’t even taste like “healthy” food, it is PACKED with flavor.  Someone in the house was extremely unexcited about a WeightWatchers recipe (when informed this entire week’s menu will be WW’s based lol), but the first thing that came out of said person’s mouth was, “Dang, this chicken is so tender!  This is a really good dish!”  This compliment was uttered throughout the meal and once more later in the night too!