If you are short on time, you can make the spice mixture in advance and purchase precut butternut squash and skinned chicken pieces.

1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 1/2 lb. chicken thighs and drumsticks, skinned
3 tsp. olive oil, divided
2 medium onions, cut into wedges
6 large cloves garlic, halved lengthwise
1 2 1/2–3-lb. butternut squash, halved, seeded, peeled, and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 cup pitted kalamata olives
1/2 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup chicken broth
Hot cooked couscous
Snipped fresh chives
Lemon wedges

1. In small bowl combine salt, cloves, turmeric, ginger, crushed red pepper, and black pepper. Rub chicken with 1 tablespoon spice mixture.

2. In a 4-quart Dutch oven heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium heat. Add chicken; cook, uncovered, 6 to 8 minutes, turning occasionally to brown evenly. Remove chicken. Add remaining oil to Dutch oven. Add onions and garlic. Cook and stir over medium heat 2 minutes. Add squash; sprinkle with remaining spice mixture and toss lightly. Add chicken, olives, apricots, and broth. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover; simmer 35 minutes or until chicken is done and squash is tender. Serve chicken and vegetable mixture over couscous. Sprinkle with chives and serve with lemon wedges. Makes 6 servings.

SLOW-COOKER DIRECTIONS: Prepare spice mixture and rub chicken with spices as directed in master recipe. Set chicken aside. Omit olive oil. In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker combine onions, garlic, and squash. Add remaining spice mixture to the vegetable mixture and toss to coat. Place chicken pieces atop vegetable mixture. Pour broth over all. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours or high-heat setting for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. To serve, transfer chicken pieces to a platter. Stir olives and dried apricots into vegetable mixture. Serve as directed in master recipe.

PRESSURE-COOKER DIRECTIONS: Using a 6-quart pressure cooker for browning chicken and cooking vegetables, follow directions in master recipe up through adding the browned chicken, apricots, and broth (do not add olives here). Lock lid in place. Bring to pressure over high heat; immediately remove from heat. Set aside to depressurize cooker. Stir in olives. Serve as directed in master recipe.

Per serving: 394 cal., 10 g fat (1 g sat. fat), 89 mg chol., 766 mg sodium, 52 g carbo., 7 g dietary fiber, 27 g protein.

NOTE: Homemade chicken soup, with thick egg noodles and chunky vegetables, does wonders for the spirit as well as what ails you. The pressure cooker yields fork-tender chicken in minutes, speeding up the process. Thyme, lemon juice, and ginger add freshness.