Moroccan Chicken With Pistachio Couscous Food

MOROCCAN CHICKEN WITH PISTACHIO COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Combine spices and rind in a bowl mix well, add chicken one breast at a time and rub spice mixture firmly into chicken. Cook chicken in a heated, oiled fry pan until browned on both sides and cooked through. Remove and set to one side.
• In same cleaned pan add capsicum and cook for 1 minute, stirring.
• While chicken is cooking, boil enough water to cover sachet's, with 1-2 teaspoons of vegetable stock added, place sachet's in water and cook for 1-2 min's until couscous softens.
• Cut bag open and pour into a large bowl fluff with fork, stir in juice and oil.
• Stir in nuts, sultana's and coriander.
• To Serve: Place couscous in a serving bowl, top with sliced chicken and capsicum.

GRILLED CHICKEN COUSCOUS WITH APRICOTS AND PISTACHIO

Steps:

• For the couscous: Put 1 1/2 cups water, the salt, cumin and pepper in a small saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Stir in the couscous, remove from the heat, cover and let sit until the water is absorbed and the couscous is tender, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer the couscous to a bowl, fluff with a fork and add the pistachios, mint, parsley and lime zest to taste. Set aside.
• For the apricot-balsamic glaze: Put the vinegar in a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/2 cup. Whisk in the apricot jam and let cool slightly.
• For the chicken and apricots: Heat a charcoal or gas grill to high for direct grilling.
• Brush the chicken and apricots with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill the chicken until golden brown and slightly charred on both sides and just cooked through, about 9 minutes total. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
• Grill the apricots cut-side down until golden brown and slightly charred; turn over and grill until just heated through. Slice into wedges.
• Transfer the couscous to a plate and arrange the chicken and apricots on top. Drizzle with the apricot-balsamic glaze.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN AND COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Combine the carrots and 1 cup water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until crisp-tender, about 7 minutes; cover and set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, then add the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Cook, turning occasionally, until browned and just cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate using a slotted spoon. Add the onion to the skillet and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Stir in the cumin and cinnamon; remove from the heat.
• Add the couscous, chickpeas, apricots and lemon zest to the skillet. Add the carrots and the hot cooking water (return to a simmer if the liquid has cooled); stir to combine. Add the chicken and any collected juices. Cover and let stand until the liquid is absorbed and the couscous is tender, about 5 minutes; fluff with a fork. Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro. Season with salt.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN WITH COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add the red onions and carrots; cook until the onions soften slightly, about 4 minutes. Add the ras el hanout, ginger and 1/2 teaspoon salt; stir to coat the vegetables. Add 3 cups water and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook until the carrots are tender, about 8 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the couscous as the label directs. Puree 1 3/4 cups cilantro, 2 tablespoons water and the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a food processor. Fluff the couscous and stir in the cilantro paste. Cover to keep warm.
• Uncover the vegetables and stir in the chicken and raisins. Continue cooking over medium-high heat until the raisins are plump, about 5 minutes. Stir in the honey and the remaining 1/4 cup cilantro. Serve over the couscous; top with the almonds.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN WITH ALMOND COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°.
• To prepare chicken, combine first 9 ingredients in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in flour mixture. Reserve remaining flour mixture.
• Heat oil in a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on one side. Turn chicken; remove skillet from heat. Combine reserved flour mixture and shallots; add to skillet. Stir in 1/4 cup broth and dates. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until chicken is done.
• Remove chicken from skillet. Place skillet over medium heat; stir in 1 cup broth. Cook 1 minute; stir in cilantro. Return chicken to pan. Cover; remove pan from heat.
• To prepare couscous, combine 3/4 cup broth, water, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon cumin in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Stir in couscous. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Stir in almonds. Serve with chicken and sauce.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN WITH SWEET COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Place the chicken into a pot along with the spices, onion, cinnamon sticks, & 2 tbsp of the butter.
• Pour in the chicken stock & bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover & simmer for 45-60 minutes, until the chicken is tender.
• Take the chicken out of the broth. Turn up the heat & boil until the sauce is reduce to 2 cups. Remove the chicken from the bones. Discard the cinnamon sticks & bones.
• Pour the 2 cups of sauce in with the dry couscous, stir. Cover & let sit for 8-10 minutes. Uncover & add the rest of the butter, stir until melted.
• Dump half the couscous onto a serving platter. Flatten into a large circle then arrange the chicken in a single layer over the couscous. Spread the rest of the couscous over the chicken to form another flat circle.
• Dust a fine layer of confectioners sugar over the couscous & decorate with thin lines of cinnamon. Serve with a small bowl of confectioners sugar & cinnamon on the side.

MOROCCAN-SPICED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place a rimmed baking sheet on the center rack of oven and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix spices, 2 teaspoons salt, 3/4 teaspoon pepper, and the oil in a small bowl. Rub spice paste all over chicken.
• Carefully arrange chicken in a single layer on hot sheet, and arrange lemon wedges around chicken. Bake until chicken registers 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer and juices run clear, 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and serve with pan juices and roasted lemon wedges on the side.

PISTACHIO COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• On a baking sheet in middle of oven toast pistachios in one layer until golden, about 10 minutes. Once pistachios have cooled, coarsely chop.
• In each of two 3-quart saucepans bring 2 1/4 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil. Stir 1 box couscous into each pan and let stand, covered, off heat 5 minutes.
• Chop mint leaves. Fluff couscous with a fork and transfer to a bowl. Stir in pistachios, mint, oil, and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN WITH COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Fry chicken portions skin side down in butter and oil until golden.
• Turn.
• Add onions, garlic, spices, salt, orange juice and 300ml of water.
• Cover and bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Mix couscous with salt and 350ml of water.
• Leave to soak for 5 minutes.
• Add rest of ingredients for couscous.
• Line a steamer with greaseproof paper and spoon the cous cous inches.
• Place over chicken and steam for 10 minutes.
• Remove steamer, stir honey into chicken liquid and boil rapidly for 3-4 minutes. (At this point I stirred in 1 tsp of cornflour mixed with a little water to thicken the sauce).
• Serve chicken on top of couscous and pour over a little of the sauce.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN WITH COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350ºF.
• Toss first 3 ingredients with 1 tsp. dressing. Place on one half of foil-covered rimmed baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Place chicken on other half of prepared baking sheet; brush with remaining dressing. Bake 40 min. or until chicken is done (165°F), adding nuts, apricots and raisins to the baking sheet for the last 5 min. Remove from oven.
• Heat oil in saucepan on medium heat. Add onions along with the anise and cinnamon sticks from baking sheet; cook and stir 3 to 5 min. or until onions are crisp-tender. Stir in broth; bring to boil. Remove and discard anise and cinnamon sticks. Add couscous to onions in pan; mix well. Remove from heat; cover. Let stand 5 min.
• Fluff couscous mixture. Add garlic, nuts and fruit from baking sheet; mix lightly. Serve with the chicken.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN WITH LEMON COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Put the couscous, half the lemon zest and half the juice in a medium bowl and pour over 400ml boiling water. Cover with cling film and leave to soak while you cook the chicken.
• Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan, drizzle honey and some seasoning over the chicken and fry over a medium heat for 5-6 mins, until golden.
• Mix in the spices, followed by the tomatoes, stock, beans and remaining lemon zest and juice. Bring to the boil and simmer, uncovered, for 8-10 mins or until the beans are tender. Fork through the couscous to fluff it up, then serve with the chicken.

PISTACHIO-CRUSTED MOROCCAN RACK OF LAMB WITH ISRAELI COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Rinse rack of lamb under cold water and pat dry. Using a sharp knife, cut a few slits between the bones and into the meat. (This will allow some of the spice blend to penetrate into the meat) Brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with Ras el hanout and paprika. Allow to stand at room temperature while preparing the couscous.
• Rinse cilantro, parsley, and mint leaves. (Amounts listed above in ingredients are approximate, since I use a handful of each) Dry in paper towels, then roughly chop. Also roughly chop preserved lemon and dried apricot. **For most recipes that call for preserved lemon, thoroughly rinse off the salt and remove the pulp and seeds, using only the rind.** If you do not have preserved lemon, zest a whole lemon to add later while combining couscous ingredients.
• Grind pistachio nuts and combine with bread crumbs. (If your pistachios are salted, there is no need to add salt to the lamb before searing it).
• To prepare the Israeli couscous, melt butter in saucepan and sauté chopped onion until soft. Add the couscous and cook with the sautéed onion, then add the stock. If you do not have stock, use water. Bring to boil, then reduce heat. Cover and continue simmering about 8 minutes, until couscous is soft. Not all of the liquid will be absorbed. Empty contents into a fine-mesh strainer and rinse with cold water, rinsing off the starch that was released during simmering. Return the rinsed and drained couscous back into the saucepan and reheat slightly.
• Prepare your lamb: Preheat oven to 375. If your pistachio nuts are unsalted, sprinkle rack of lamb with salt. Using an oven-proof skillet, heat olive oil over moderately high heat. When oil is hot, sear the lamb rack until browned, about 5 minutes per side.
• Remove pan from heat. Slather both sides of lamb rack with pomegranate molasses. Then with meaty side of lamb rack up, pack nut crumb mixture on top. Place skillet in oven and roast until internal temp reaches 140 degrees F for rare, about 15-20 minutes. Then allow to stand a few minutes before carving.
• Combine couscous, preserved lemon or zest, apricot, pomegranate seeds, and chopped mint, cilantro, and parsley. If desired toss couscous with a splash of olive oil and a small amount of lemon juice from the zested lemon.
• Carve rack into 8 chops. Spoon couscous onto plate and arrange chops on top.
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• Preserved lemon: You will need a glass jar with an air-tight seal. Combine ~ a tablespoon of coriander seed with ~ a tablespoon of fennel seed. Place 1 bay leaf and 1 cinnamon stick in the bottom of glass jar. Have a small bowl of Kosher salt nearby. Slice lemons in quarters ALMOST down to stem end, but leave intact. Place coriander and fennel seed inside lemon and also fill with salt. Place cut side down into glass jar, squeezing as many into the jar as you can. As you squeeze them, some of the lemon juice is released, but not enough to fill the jar. Just continue packing in as many lemons as you can and add additional salt between layers of lemon. Top off with freshly squeezed lemon juice. Then refrigerate for a month. I think this is Jamie Oliver's technique, but there are many out there. He has also suggested doing this with other citrus, like limes and mandarin oranges. Meyer lemons work nicely. Some techniques suggest a layer of olive oil on top, and this works well, too.