Recipe to beat high blood pressure: chicken-apricot casserole

Chicken thighs are excellent in a casserole, being very tender and full of flavour. Fresh apricots and a bulb of fennel make good partners, especially when spiced up with cumin.

Preparation time: 15 minutes 

Cooking time: 50 minutes

Serves 4

• 30 ml (2 tbsp) canola oil
• 8 chicken thighs, about 500 g (1 lb)
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 10 ml (2 teaspoons) ground cumin
• 10 ml (2 tsp) ground coriander
• 300 ml (1 1/4 c) reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 3 carrots, halved crosswise, then each cut into 6 to 8 thick fingers
• 5 apricots, pitted and quartered.
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Chopped fennel leaves from the bulb to garnish

1. Lay out fennel on a cutting board, halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into slices.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet and sauté the chicken thighs, turning occasionally, until golden brown all over, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the pan. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and sauté until soft and golden, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in all the spices and fry for 1 minute, then add the broth.
4. Return the chicken to the pan together with the carrots and fennel. Bring to the boil. Stir well, then cover and simmer gently until the chicken is tender, about 30 minutes. Remove the lid. If there is too much liquid, boil to reduce it slightly.
5. Add the apricots to the casserole and stir gently to mix. Simmer over a low heat for a further 5 minutes.
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the fennel leaves and serve.

• Replace the apricots with 1 fresh mango, cut into slices or chunks. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro instead of fennel leaves.
• Use 1 can (450 grams/15 ounces) apricot halves in natural juice, drained and cut in half, instead of fresh apricots.
• Plain boiled rice or saffron rice is a good accompaniment to this dish, as are boiled new potatoes or baked potatoes.

• Both apricots and carrots provide some vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene, which gives them their distinctive colour, but carrots are by far the better source, providing about 20 times more of this nutrient per 100 grams (3 1/2 ounces) than apricots. Vitamin A is essential for proper vision and increasingly valued for its role as an antioxidant, helping to prevent cancer and heart disease.

Key nutrients per serving: 280 calories, 110 calories from fat, 13 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 26 g protein, 18 g carb, 6 g fibre, 180 mg sodium.

Blood pressure nutrients: 21 mg vitamin C, 51 mg magnesium, 831 mg potassium, 87 mg calcium.