Heat the butter and oil in a tagine or heavy casserole baking dish. I used a heavy cast iron dutch oven and had no problems cooking this low and slow.
Stir in the almonds and lightly toast them until they are golden brown. Be careful not to burn them. Nothing worse than burnt nuts.
Add the onion and garlic, stir and cook over low heat until translucent and starts to brown. Stir in the minced ginger, saffron, cinnamon sticks and crushed coriander seeds.
Add the cubed chicken thighs and stir to make sure everything is nicely coated. Sauté for five minutes.
Next, pour enough water or broth to cover the chicken and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour or until chicken is tender.
Add the prunes or dates, apricots and cherries, stir to mix and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes.