Moroccan Stewed Chicken

Ingredients

• 2 slices applewood-smoked bacon crumbled cooked
• 0.3 cup apricot halves dried chopped
• 1  bay leaf 
• 0.5 teaspoon pepper black divided freshly ground
• 4  chicken thighs bone-in
• 2 teaspoons canola oil 
• 0.5 cup carrots thinly sliced
• 2  chicken breast halves bone-in halved
• 1 cup chicken stock see unsalted such as Swanson
• 1.8 cups cooking wine dry white
• 2 tablespoons flour all-purpose
• 1 tablespoon garlic fresh minced
• 0.3 cup olives green pitted sliced
• 0.5 teaspoon kosher salt divided
• 1 tablespoon juice of lemon fresh
• 6 servings lemon wedges 
• 1 cup onion chopped
• 0.5 cup plum tomatoes seeded chopped
• 0.3 teaspoon saffron threads 
• 1 tablespoon butter unsalted

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• oven
• whisk
• dutch oven

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 32
2. Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat.
3. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
4. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat.
5. Add half of chicken to pan, flesh side down. Cook 4 minutes or until browned; remove from pan. Repeat with remaining chicken. Set chicken aside.
6. Add onion, carrot, tomato, and garlic to pan; cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Add wine; cook for 2 minutes, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Return chicken to pan, flesh side up.
8. Combine stock and flour in a bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth.
9. Add stock mixture to pan.
10. Stir in apricot halves, olives, saffron, and bay leaf, and bring to a boil. Cover and bake at 325 for 45 minutes or until chicken is done and very tender.
11. Remove pan from oven.
12. Remove chicken from pan, and top with 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Keep warm.
13. Heat pan over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil. Boil 5 minutes or until mixture is reduced to 3 cups.
14. Add butter, lemon juice, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, stirring until smooth. Discard bay leaf.
15. Serve with lemon wedges.