Chicken
The Africa News Cookbook
8-10
approximately 2 hours

This elegant dish always gets an enthusiastic reception and is a good choice for serving guests.

• 2 chickens (3-4 lbs. each), cut into pieces
• 2-4 tsp. salt (optional)
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 tsp. saffron or tumeric
• 2 sticks cinnamon
• 2 large onions, finely chopped
• 2 sticks butter (may be reduced or combined with oil)
• 1 lb. prunes, washed and pitted
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 tblsp. honey
• 1/2 lb. almonds, without skins
• 2 tblsp. vegetable or peanut oil
• 1 tblsp. sesame seeds

Place the chicken, salt, pepper, tumeric or saffron, cinnamon sticks, onions and butter in a large, heavy pot. Add water to cover, about 2 cups, and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce the heat, and simmer until the chicken is done, adding water if necessary. Remove and set aside the chicken pieces.

Stir prunes into simmering liquid. After 15 minutes, add ground cinnamon and honey, and cook until the sauce has honey-like consistency. (Depending on your pot, your stove, and the moisture in your chicken, this can take from 15 minutes to more than an hour.) If the sauce doesn't thicken well, add several more tablespoons of honey.

When the sauce seems almost ready, lighly saute almonds in oil in a heavy skillet. Remove the almonds with a slotted spoon and set aside. Pour off all but a thin coating of the oil and carefully toast the sesame seeds, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Return chicken the sauce for quick re-heating, then place it in a serving dish. Top with the sauce, almonds and sesame seeds.