In a bowl or container with a lid, mix all the ingredients for the marinade, massage the chicken thighs well with this mixture. Place your container in the refrigerator and marinate your chicken thighs for at least 2 hours, but ideally overnight.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy based casserole pot or directly in a tagine dish if you have. Add chopped onions with the cinnamon stick, the cardamom and a little of salt. Once the onions are translucent, add the marinated chicken thighs, as well as the spices, salt and pepper. Sear the chicken thighs for about 5 minutes on each side, so that they colour well on both sides, before adding boiling water (about 300 ml). Cover and cook for about 45 minutes or until the thighs are cooked and tender.

Remove the chicken thighs to place them in a baking dish. Brush your chicken thighs with a little butter and let them brown for a few minutes. Meanwhile, remove the cover and cook for a further 10 – 15 minutes until the liquid has reduced and the sauce has thickened. Don’t forget to remove the cinnamon stick and cardamom pods.

While the chicken cooks, prepare the caramelized apricots: In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil before adding the dried apricots. Leave to cook for 1 minute, the apricots must be tender but not mashed or overcooked. Drain the apricots, then return them to the pan. Add the butter, cinnamon, honey and orange blossom, stir for 3 minutes on each side, so that the apricots caramelize and soak up the sauce. Remove from the heat, set aside until ready to serve.

When ready to serve, place the sauce at the bottom of your tagine or serving plate, arrange on top of the chicken thighs, garnish all around with caramelized apricots and finally sprinkle with fried almonds.