Moroccan Spiced Chicken In Banana Leaf Food

MOROCCAN-SPICED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 450 degrees F. Toss the green beans and carrots with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon each ras el hanout and salt and a few grinds of pepper on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast on the upper rack until tender and lightly browned, adding the almonds halfway through, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken on both sides with the remaining 1 teaspoon ras el hanout and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add to the skillet; cook until browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to another rimmed baking sheet and roast on the lower oven rack until cooked through, about 10 minutes.
• Return the skillet to medium-high heat and add the shallot. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 1 minute. Stir in the chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits, then add the apricots, olives and harissa. Cook until the apricots soften and the broth is reduced by two-thirds, about 5 minutes; season with salt. Pour any accumulated juices from the chicken into the sauce.
• Slice the chicken and serve with the roasted vegetables. Spoon the sauce over the chicken.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN WITH SHREDDED CABBAGE AND TAHINI SAUCE ON PITA

Steps:

• Wash and pat the chicken dry. Combine the cumin, coriander, ginger, paprika and cinnamon in a large plastic bag. Season the spice blend with pepper and a little salt (remember the olives will be salty so go easy). Add the chicken pieces to the bag and toss to coat evenly. Set aside in the refrigerator to marinate for 1 hour.
• Set a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and coat with olive oil. Brown the chicken in two batches, and then transfer to a platter. Add a little more oil to the pot and cook the garlic and onions until browned and translucent. Add the chicken back to the pot along with the lemon peel, thyme, bay leaf and saffron if using. Add the chicken broth, bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Stir the chicken pieces, and add the olives and dates. Cover and cook until the chicken is very tender, 30 minutes longer. Remove the thyme and bay leaf before serving.
• Serve the chicken with the pan sauce on a bed of the finely shredded cabbage on top of a whole toasted pita (cut in wedges, but still set on plate as a whole round pita, like a tostada). Garnish with the pistachios and chopped cilantro if using. Drizzle with the Tahini Sauce. Pair with a pinot grigio.
• Combine the yogurt, tahini, honey, lemon juice and garlic in a food processor, or mix together well in a large bowl until well combined and completely smooth. Thin with water as desired. Season with salt and pepper.

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.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN ONE-POT

Steps:

• Season 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a flameproof dish, then brown the chicken on all sides. Remove the chicken to a plate.
• Whizz 1 chopped onion, 100g tomatoes, 100g chopped ginger and 3 garlic cloves into a rough paste.
• Fry 1 sliced onion in 1 tbsp olive oil in the dish until softened, then add 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tbsp cumin, 1 tbsp coriander and 1 tbsp cinnamon and fry for 1 min more until fragrant. Add the paste and fry for another few mins to soften.
• Return the chicken to the dish with 1 large butternut squash, cut into big chunks, 600ml chicken stock, 2 tbsp brown sugar and 2 tbsp red wine vinegar.
• Bring to a simmer, then cook for 30 mins until the chicken is cooked through.
• Lift the chicken out and stir in 100g dried cherries, then continue simmering the sauce to thicken while you shred the chicken into bite-sized chunks. Stir the chicken back into the sauce and season.
• Mix 1 finely chopped small red onion, the zest of 1 lemon, a handful of mint leaves and 100g crumbled feta cheese. Scatter over the dish, then serve with couscous and natural yogurt.

RAS EL-HANOUT, MOROCCAN SPICED CHICKEN

Steps:

• To make the Ras al-hanout spice mixture: Combine the cinnamon, turmeric, black pepper, nutmeg, cardamom and cloves in a small bowl.
• Thoroughly pat the chicken dry and dredge in the ras al-hanout spices until pieces are nicely covered but not over-loaded. Place in a bowl or large dish and scatter thyme and garlic over the chicken. Pour 1/2 C olive oil over and toss to coat thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight if possible, or several hours.
• Remove marinated chicken and place on counter for 30 minutes. Heat 1 T. olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from the dish, keeping the marinade, and brown chicken on all sides in the hot oil. (Do not rush this as the browning will help keep the chicken from feeling "dusty" from the spice mix covering it. This is also why you do not want to over-load the chicken with the spice mix.)
• Set the chicken aside and add the onion to the Dutch oven, cook until translucent.
• Return the chicken to the Dutch oven, adding the lemon and the reserved marinade. Sprinkle generously with salt. Add enough broth to almost cover the chicken, bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the chicken has begun to pull away from the bones and is quite tender, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
• Remove the lid the last 15 minutes of cooking time to reduce the broth. If it needs to reduce further, remove the chicken and boil the broth until nicely reduced to approximately 2 cups, but you can reduce it less if you want more sauce. You can thicken the sauce with cornstarch mixed with water.
• Serve with white rice or other grain of choice.

SPICY MOROCCAN CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a shallow bowl, combine 2 tsp cinnamon, cumin and coriander, plus cayenne pepper and salt. Dredge chicken in spices.
• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken; sauté until browned, turning once. Remove chicken.
• Add onion to skillet, sauté 3 minutes. Add garlic, ginger and broth; sauté 5 minutes.
• Add all remaining ingredients and the chicken. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Serve in bowls with whole-wheat pitas.

ROASTED MOROCCAN SPICED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F
• Pat chicken dry and rub with flattened garlic cloves; place garlic in cavity. Squeeze lemon into small bowl; place lemon in cavity.
• Brush chicken with half of juice.
• Mix spices and salt and rub over and inside chicken.
• Tie legs together. Heat oil in large ovenproof skillet.
• Add chicken, breast side up. Add remaining lemon juice to skillet. Baste
• chicken withpan juices. Transfer to oven, and bake until juices run clear.
• Baste occasionally. Roast about 1 hour -- .