Moroccan Saffron Chicken Food

MOROCCAN CHICKEN WITH SAFFRON AND PRESERVED LEMON

Steps:

• Whisk 1/4 cup olive oil, garlic, turmeric, cumin seeds, salt, and pepper together in a bowl and pour into a resealable plastic bag or container. Add chicken, coat with the paste and seal bag or container. Marinate in the refrigerator, 4 hours to overnight.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir until soft and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove chicken from marinade, discarding marinade. Add chicken thighs skin-side down to stockpot and cook until browned, about 4 minutes. Flip chicken thighs and cook until browned on second side, about 3 minutes more.
• Lower heat to medium and add water to cover chicken halfway, cover stockpot, and cook for 20 minutes. Uncover stockpot, sprinkle saffron threads onto chicken, and top with preserved lemon slices. Replace cover and cook until chicken is no longer pink at the bone and juices run clear, about 5 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Uncover stockpot and transfer chicken to a serving platter.
• Continue simmering liquid in stockpot until thickened to sauce consistency, 5 to 7 minutes. Spoon sauce over chicken; top with olives, artichokes, and parsley.

MOROCCAN STYLE CHICKEN AND BASMATI RICE

Steps:

• On the menu tonight, a Moroccan-inspired chicken and Mahatma® Basmati Rice dish with all the fixings. If you're up for experimenting with bold and fragrant spices, Morrocan food is just up your alley. With plentiful amounts of aromatic spices and herbs, this chicken and rice dish is much more than the average one-pan recipe.
• Step 1 In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden.
• Step 2 Add garlic, ginger and chicken and sauté for 5 minutes. Stir in allspice and a pinch of saffron or turmeric, if desired, rice and chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
• Step 3 Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice.
• Step 4 Transfer to serving dish and garnish with cilantro.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN BASTILLA

Steps:

• Cut the chicken into pieces, discarding the skin. Add the butter and oil to a large Dutch oven or other heavy duty pot and heat on medium until the butter melts. Add the onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the spices and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chicken pieces and stir to coat. Cover, and cook over medium to medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour, or until the chicken is very tender and falls off the bone. Do not add water, and be careful not to burn the chicken or the sauce as this will ruin the dish.
• Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate, and reduce the sauce in the pot until most of the liquids have evaporated and the onions form a mass in the oil. Stir occasionally, and adjust the heat as necessary to prevent burning. Remove and discard the cinnamon sticks.
• While the sauce is reducing and the chicken is still warm, pick the meat off the bones, breaking it into bite-size pieces. Place in a bowl and stir in several spoonfuls of the onion mixture; cover the meat and set aside.
• Transfer the remaining reduced onions and oil to a large non-stick skillet. Add the cilantro, and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add the beaten eggs, and cook as you would an omelet or scrambled eggs. Be patient, as it will take up to 10 minutes for the eggs to set. Some oil separating from the eggs is okay. Set the egg stuffing aside.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat until the oil shimmers. Test the oil by dropping in an almond. If tiny bubbles rapidly rise around the almond within a few seconds, the oil is ready. If the oil boils and splatters immediately, it's too hot.
• Fry the almonds in batches, stirring constantly, until light golden brown. As soon as the almonds are richly colored, transfer them to a tray lined with paper towels to drain and cool. Fried almonds will continue to darken a bit after frying, so be careful not to burn them while they're in the oil.
• When the almonds have cooled completely, pulse them in a food processor until finely ground. Put them in a mixing bowl, and with your hands work in the powdered sugar, orange flower water, and softened butter. Set aside.
• Generously oil a 14-inch or larger round pan. If you don't have a round pan, work on an oiled flat baking sheet or large plate, and shape a circular pie as best you can.
• Brush melted butter on each sheet of warqa or phyllo dough as you work. If using phyllo, take care to keep it covered with plastic since it dries out very quickly.
• Using your pan as a guide, overlap 3 or 4 single layers of warqa (shiny side down)-or double layers of phyllo dough-in a circular fashion, so that the inner halves of the pastry dough overlap in the center, and the excess dough drapes over the edges of the pan. Butter each layer of dough.
• Place one buttered 12-inch circle of warqa, or two 12-inch buttered circles of phyllo, in the center of the pan. This forms the bottom of the pie.
• Cover the 12-inch circle with the chicken filling, and distribute the egg stuffing over the chicken.
• Top the egg stuffing with another buttered 12-inch circle of warqa (shiny side up), or two 12-inch buttered circles of phyllo. Spread the almond topping over this layer of dough.
• Fold the excess dough up and over the almonds to enclose the pie. Flatten and smooth any bulky areas.
• Brush butter on the folded edges of dough, and top with 3 more overlapping layers of warqa (shiny side up) or phyllo, brushing butter on each layer. Fold down the edges of dough and carefully tuck them underneath the pie, molding and shaping the bastilla as you go.
• Use your hands to spread the egg yolk over the top and sides of the pie. Lightly oil the bastilla in the same manner.
• The bastilla is now ready for baking, or it can be covered in plastic and stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 day, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 F (180 C). Oil a flat baking sheet.
• Place the bastilla on oiled baking sheet in the middle of the oven, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until deep golden brown. Note that a bastilla placed in the oven directly from the freezer will take up to 1 hour to bake.
• Generously coat the bastilla with sifted powdered sugar. Sift the cinnamon on top of the sugar, or use the cinnamon to decorate the top of the pie.
• Serve immediately.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN ON SAFFRON RICE (WW)

Steps:

• In medium saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil; stir in rice and saffron.
• Reduce heat to low; cook, covered, 20 minutes, until all water is absorbed and rice is tender.
• Remove from heat; keep warm.
• Meanwhile, in large nonstick skillet, heat oil; add chicken.
• Cook over medium-high heat, turning once, 8 minutes, until browned on all sides and juices run clear when chicken is pierced with fork.
• Remove chicken from skillet; set aside.
• In same skillet, combine leeks, apricots, cumin, cinnamon and red pepper flakes; cook, stirring frequently, 5 minutes, until leeks are softened.
• Add tomatoes and broth; bring liquid to a boil.
• Reduce heat to low; simmer, covered, 3 minutes, until mixture is heated through.
• Return chicken to skillet; stir in orange sections.
• Cook, turning chicken occasionally, 3 minutes, until chicken is heated through.
• Spoon warm rice mixture onto serving platter.
• Top rice mixture with cooked chicken breasts; surround chicken with vegetable mixture.
• SERVING (1 CHICKEN BREAST, 3/4 CUP RICE, 3/4 CUP VEGETABLE MIXTURE) PROVIDES: 1/2 Fat, 1 Fruit, 2 Vegetables, 3 Proteins, 1 1/2 Breads, 5 Optional Calories.
• PER SERVING: 406 Calories, 5 g Total Fat, 1 g Saturated Fat, 66 mg Cholesterol, 125 mg Sodium, 58 g Total Carbohydrate, 4 g Dietary Fiber, 32 g Protein, 93 mg Calcium; 8 points.

MOROCCAN SAFFRON CHICKEN

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot.
• Cover, and cook over medium to medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour, or until the chicken is very tender and pulls easily off the bone.
• Do not add water, and be careful not to burn the chicken.
• Reduce the liquids until they are mostly oils.
• Discard the cinnamon sticks, and taste for seasoning. (The sauce should be a bit salty and peppery.).

MOROCCAN CHICKEN

Steps:

• Stir caraway seeds in heavy small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer to processor. Add next 10 ingredients. Purée until coarse paste forms. Rub paste all over chicken halves.
• Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Add onions; sauté until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add chicken halves to pot. Add enough water to almost cover chicken. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until chicken is tender, turning once, about 45 minutes.
• Transfer chicken, skin side up, to baking sheet. Add cilantro to liquid in pot. Boil until reduced to 3 cups, about 20 minutes. Season with salt. Meanwhile, preheat broiler. Broil chicken until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Transfer chicken to platter. Serve with braising liquid.

MOROCCAN SAFFRON CHICKEN

Steps:

• Enjoy!