How to make Moroccan chicken skewers with onions and apricots

Chicken has every right to be exciting. The humble bird is often dismissed, considered boring or too quick to dry out when cooked.

Well, think again.

Chicken is uncomplicated, reliable and an all-around crowd-pleaser. More important, it loves a good rub or marinade and will obligingly absorb a sauce’s flavors, spices and aromatics to enhance the best of its simple-chicken self.

Which brings me to these skewers. Skewered chicken couldn’t be an easier or tastier method to deliver flavor to the meat. Sure, you can slap a thigh or breast on the grill, but if you cut the meat into bite-size pieces, you will expose even more surface area and edges to the marinade and achieve the coveted goal of roasting and grilling: lots of crispy bits and toasty, charred flavor.

This recipe relies on a heady blend of North African spices muddled with oil, lemon and runny honey to create a soupy, fragrant paste. I recommend using thighs in the recipe because thigh meat is generally flavorful and juicy, but breast meat is fine, too — just don’t combine the two cuts on a skewer, since they will have different cooking times.

Moroccan Chicken Skewers With Apricots and Onion

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1- to 1 1/4-inch chunks12 to 15 dried apricots1 large red or yellow onion, halved, cut in 1-inch chunks

Marinade:

3 garlic cloves, minced or pushed through a press3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil2 tablespoons honey2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice1 teaspoon ground cumin1 teaspoon ground ginger1 teaspoon kosher salt1/2 teaspoon ground coriander1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper1/4 teaspoon cayenne (or to taste)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Whisk the marinade ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Place the chicken in the bowl and turn the pieces to thoroughly coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.

2. If using bamboo skewers, pre-soak the skewers for 30 minutes.

3. Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and thread on skewers, alternating with the apricots and onions. Lightly brush the skewers with the remaining marinade in the bowl, then discard any remaining marinade.

4. If using the oven, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly oil the foil (or use a broiler pan). Arrange the skewers in one layer, without touching, on the pan. Roast in the oven until the centers of the chicken are nearly cooked through (they should register 158 to 160 degrees with a meat thermometer inserted in the center), 15 to 20 minutes, turning once.

5. Turn on the oven broiler and continue to cook until the edges of the meat are browned and crisp in spots, and the meat is thoroughly cooked through, about 5 minutes more, turning once. Watch carefully to prevent burning.

6. If using a grill, lightly oil the grill grates. Grill the skewers over direct medium-high heat (400 to 450 degrees) until well-marked and thoroughly cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes, turning once or twice.

7. Serve the chicken on the skewers or slide the meat onto a serving platter. Serve with rice or couscous.

Lynda Balslev is an award-winning writer, cookbook author and recipe developer, and authors the blog TasteFood, More recipes can be found at chicago.suntimes.com/taste.