Moroccan Chicken

I thought I'd stray from the beloved curry path today and try my hand at something a little different :) Moroccan cuisine is so full of flavour and, although I am not very experienced in it, I love what I have tried. Moroccan couscous appears on my daily menu about 4 days out of 7 in the summer, can't get enough of the stuff! So today I have a Moroccan chicken recipe for you, traditionally made in a tagine (lucky you if you have one!) but is easily replicated in a humble saucepan or skillet, whatever you have on hand :)

The spices in this dish are just wonderful, they all work together with none overpowering the other and create a beautiful lingering flavour that makes such a lovely change to the ordinary. The chicken itself is so tender and tasty, none of that bland old poultry around here! I particularly loved the satisfying crunch the almonds gave to the final dish, but they are of course optional if not your kinda thing. Really, this is such a great one to have in your arsenal of quick 'n easy recipes and you can knock out/up the quantities of ingredients to suit your preferences. Enjoy!

Moroccan Chicken

Adapted from both The Orgasmic Chef and Simply Recipes

Serves 3

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

1 Tbsp olive oil

3 chicken breasts (approx 400g), cubed

salt

2 garlic cloves, diced or minced

1/2 large onion, chopped

1/3-1/2 lemon, chopped into wedges

1/2 cup pitted olives, black or green

2 Tbsp (1/8 cup) raisins

2 Tbsp (1/8 cup) apricots, halved or quartered

1/3-3/4 cup chicken stock*

To serve: 

fresh parsley and/or cilantro

2 Tbsp sliced almonds, toasted

couscous or rice

Combine the spices in a large bowl and add the chicken pieces, mixing well to make sure all are completely coated

Let the chicken stand for at least one hour in the spices

Heat the oil in a medium/large saucepan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, sprinkle lightly with salt, and brown for about 5 minutes

Remove from the heat and set the chicken aside, leaving the juices/oil in the pan

Lower the heat to medium-low, add the garlic and onion to the pan

Cook for about 5 minutes until the onions are translucent 

Return the chicken to the pan and add the lemon, olives, raisins, apricots and stock

Cover and simmer for 30 minutes until chicken is cooked through and tender

Mix in the fresh herbs and scatter with the toasted almonds just before serving

Notes

* This depends on how saucy you would like your final dish. I used just over 1/3 cup and it is nicely moist but no extra gravy. If you find you added a bit too much liquid, for the last 10 minutes increase the temperature and cook uncovered

Click to open the printable version :)