Moroccan-spiced chicken with dates and shallots

Chicken second courses

This is a variation of a recipe I found in Bon Appetit years ago which was on the French side of things (prunes and Armagnac). I’m a fan of dates and love the combination of dates with Moroccan seasonings, so I modified the dish for a trip to North Africa. The main flavor component is the Moroccan spice mix, Ras El Hanout. It’s a complex blend of spices; a jar of which I found at Williams-Sonoma (you might find McCormick brand at your supermarket), but you can also make (I've included a recipe below, adapted from GourmetSleuth.com). Once you solve the spice mix sourcing or making, the recipe is pretty easy. This recipe is killer if you modify it to braise lamb shanks. On another note, it seems to have a lot of dates, it all depends on how big they are. You be the judge on if you need to use less.