The Edible Dormouse's Famous Moroccan Chicken (Poultry)

Member Name: EdibleDormouse

Product:	Poultry
Date:	02/11/08 (288 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Can be as fancy or as simple as you please

Disadvantages: You may have to force yourself to get up from the table...

I love entertaining, and do have a reputation as a bit of a cook. I confess, there's not much I do that isn't adapted from Nigella (usually with less butter and less double cream...), but this is one that has developed over about 20 years, and first took form in my student days...

The "Moroccan" key in Moroccan Chicken is Harissa Paste - a blend of spices that give a distinctive flavour to what you're cooking. You can buy commercially produced jars of Harissa Paste quite easily, but if you have time, you can make your own.

Sub recipe - Harissa Paste
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Cook and mash up a couple of carrots (tinned carrots are particularly handy for this!)
Mix with chopped garlic and the hottest chilis you dare to use
Add cinnamon powder, and a pinch of cumin or caraway seeds to taste
Add lemon juice, again to taste

So, the recipe proper...

QUICK MOROCCAN CHICKEN:
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You will need a large saucepan, or stovetop casserole dish (this is a "quick" version, so no need to find something ovenproof)

Four boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or equivalent diced quantity of meat - you may prefer to dice it anyway for quicker cooking!)
1 x Aubergine (chopped into mouth-sized pieces)
2 x Carrots (ditto)
1 x Sweet Potato (ditto - incidentally, give it a good scrub, and leave the skin on!)
Either small button mushrooms left whole, or larger mushrooms sliced
Chicken stock, or a chicken stock cube
Cardamom pods
Powdered or fresh ginger
Cloves
A fresh apple (in mouth-sized pieces...), or dried apricots

Method:
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Slowly heat a generous quantity (a tablespoon or so) of olive oil in the bottom of your pan, and add your harissa paste.

When the smell of the paste is making your stomach rumble, add your chicken, and your other spices (cardamom, ginger, cloves). Allow to cook through gently for about 10 minutes.

Add your mouth-sized vegetables, and give them a good stir in, and around another five minutes to pick up the spices.

Add around a pint of stock, simmer for five minutes or so, then add your fruit (apple or apricots, whatever takes your fancy). Go and find something interesting to do for 10 minutes, such as write a review on Dooyoo.

I generally serve this with cous cous - tedious in itself, but try pepping it up by making it with a stock cube, or adding raisins, pine nuts, or chopped fresh herbs.

The recipe is extremely easy to pad out if you suddenly have extra guests. I have been known to add tins of chick peas and tomatoes at the last minute!

Bizarrely, for poultry, this tends to work better with a light red wine than a white.

Preparation time: 15 minutes with shopbought Harissa, 20 to 25 if you make your own
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4 to 6
Healthy eating rating: Not bad at all... :-)

Summary: Nom nom nom...