Cinnamon Chicken with Roasted Onions and Chickpeas & Apricot Quinoa

Whew that's a mouthful...note to self, come up with shorter name. This was a great dinner and silly simple. The cinnamon and ginger on the chicken and in the quinoa don't give the dish a pumpkin pie taste to it...just a warmth. Roasted red onions and chickpeas are a favorite in this house, we can easily eat a cans worth each in one sitting, so I always make extra. I love them...they add a creaminess to any dish without using additional fat or diary. I used quinoa as the side to keep it gluten free, but Israeli couscous would be heavenly.

Cinnamon Chicken with Roasted Onions and Chickpeas & Apricot Quinoa (serves 4)

4 bone in chicken legs (can substitute with breasts for white meat eaters)
2t ground cinnamon
2t ground ginger
1t olive oil
2 cans of no salt added garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 small red onion, halved and sliced thin
2c vegetable or chicken broth (I used vegetable)
1c quinoa
10 dried apricots, small diced
1/2t ground cinnamon
1/2t ground ginger
1/4c nuts, either almonds or cashews
salt and pepper-to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and ginger. Pat dry the chicken and season with the cinnamon, ginger, and add salt and pepper. In a large skillet over medium high heat, add the olive oil and heat until smoking. Add chicken, skin side down and cook until skin in brown and crispy. In a large baking dish add the chicken skin side up. In a bowl, add the chickpeas and red onion. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange around the chicken in the baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160.

To make the quinoa, bring the broth to a boil. Add the quinoa, apricots, cinnamon, and ginger. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Serve with the nuts on top.