Apricot Glazed Chicken

The picture does not fully capture the delicious-ness!

 

I have always heard of infamous Moroccan’s cooking in tagines, using prunes, apricots, figs, and all sorts of other dried fruits. I have never been one to mix sweet foods with my meats. I finally experimented with chicken, figs, and apricots, and the result was a big hit. I am still skeptical of the carmelized figs, but everyone else seemed to love them. For those of you who like to substitute chicken breast for thighs, I wouldn’t recommend doing so here. The apricot jam turns into more of a glaze, and doesnt penetrate the chicken, so you need a tender cut of chicken.  This was fun to make, and the smell in the house was amazing – Enjoy! 

Apricot Glazed Chicken
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes 

1.25 lbs of skinless chicken thighs (you can get boneless if you prefer)
1/2 cup of apricot preserves
3 tsp soy sauce (i use low-sodium)
1/4 tsp ginger powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
juice of half of a lime
8 turkish figs, cut into quarters
Salt & Black Pepper 

(1) In a large ziploc bag, combine all of the ingredients, except the figs. Mix well. Let marinate for at least 20 minutes.
(2) Over high heat, add 2 tbsp of olive oil to a hot saute pan. Add the contents of the ziploc bag.
(3) Sear and brown the chicken on both sides, on high heat, for approximately 10 minutes.
(4) Add the fig pieces, a dash of salt, black pepper, and, if you like, another dash of soy sauce.
(5) Reduce the heat, and cover. Cook for at least 15 more minutes. Periodically check the chicken and turn over to ensure even cooking.
(6) Remove from heat, and enjoy!

Moroccan Star Anise Chicken

I always thought star anise was the source of anise seeds, and thus a Middle Eastern spice.  I was apparently way off.  I had already decided to combine the star anise with my ras el hanout spice mix, and it turned out really, really good.  So consider this chicken more of an East Meets Middle East kind of dish…

You can buy ras el hanout spice mix at a local ethnic grocery store, and the star anise you can probably find it at a local Asian market.   I use the El Faz brand from World Market, although online it is only sold in the UK.  Wierd.  Sometimes Whole Foods surprises me and carries some of these “ethnic” spices. Note: I read that anise seeds are not a substitute for star anise – the star is more potent.

Morroccan Star Anise Chicken
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour

5 chicken thighs (I used bone-in)
1 tsp ras el hanout spice mix
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coriander
1 yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp ginger powder
1 star anise
1 cup chicken broth
freshly ground black pepper

(1) In a large ziploc bag, combine the chicken with ras el hanout spices, cilantro, and salt.
(2) In a tagine, or large saucepan (with lid), heat 2 tbsp of olive oil.  Pan fry the onion until translucent. Add the garlic, ginger and turmeric. Mix well with the onions.
(3) Add the chicken. On high heat, sear the chicken thighs until they have a nice golden color. Be careful not to burn the onions.
(4) Add 1/2 cup of the chicken broth and the star anise.
(5) Cover and let simmer over medium heat. Check on the chicken every 15-20 minutes and flip it over each time you check on it. If the liquid all disappears, and the chicken is not cooked yet, then slowly add the rest of the broth and reduce the heat a bit. You do not want the chicken to boil in the liquid, you just want moisture for the chicken to cook in.
(6) The chicken should be done when it falls off the bone and is succulent and juicy. This goes great with a side salad or some basmati rice. Enjoy!

Curried Chicken Shawarma

Chicken shawarma is one of those restaurant items that can be hit or miss.  Some restaurants make it very well, and others not so well.  Sometimes you end up with dry bits of chicken, often shoved into a sandwich with too much garlic sauce to make up for the dryness.  Bleck. This was my first attempt at making chicken shawarma, and it turned out very juicy and tender.  I did a lot of research and found that you basically need a lot of acid in the marinade to make it tender – hence, I used greek yogurt, vinegar and lemon juice.  Next time, I will experiment with less greek yogurt because there was almost too much juicy-ness while it was cooking.  I also didn’t use traditional spices, as I threw in some curry and cayenne pepper.  I put it on top of a modified fattoush recipe (I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand), and the dressing complimented the spice of the shawarma. Nice low-fat, healthy recipe – Yum!

Curried Chicken Shawarma

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small bite size slices
6 oz of greek yogurt (little less than 1/4 cup)
1 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp seven spice
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
dash of cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
olive oil (for pan frying)

(1) In a large Ziploc bag, combine all of the ingredients above (except olive oil).  Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Let the chicken come close to room temperature before cooking though.

(2) In a large saucepan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil.  Try to drain the residual liquid marinade from the Ziploc bag.  Saute the chicken.  I found I still had a lot of juice in the saucepan, so I drained again while I was cooking the chicken.  Let the chicken cook until it is lightly browned.

(3) Serve on top of your favorite salad, or in a sandwich.  Enjoy!

Chicken with Preserved Lemons and Olives

This is by far the best chicken I have ever made. I had never used preserved lemons before, but it will surely be a kitchen staple for me now.  It also helps that the jar of preserved lemons I bought is huge, so I have a lot left over! I bought mine from a Lebanese grocery store for 5 dollars, and there are about 20 lemons in the jar.  I saw Sur La Table sells 2 preserved lemons for 10 dollars. Crazy. I believe you can use regular lemons if you cannot find preserved ones, but I cannot guarantee that it will be as delicious as this recipe.  It also seems like they are easy to make if you plan ahead. I consulted quite a few recipes, and spoke with a Moroccan friend of mine to get the spice mixture just right.  The result? Pure awesomeness.  I wanted to put the chicken in my tagine, however, the chicken I bought was too big so all of the meat would not fit. Next time, I bet it will be even better in the tagine (although right now as I am eating this, I find it hard to believe it could be any better…)

As an aside, this was also the first time I attempted to butcher a whole chicken. Note to self, I will never do that again. It is worth the extra couple of bucks to just buy the chicken pre-cut. 

Chicken with Preserved Lemons and Olives

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

3 1/2 pound whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces (remove skin)
2 onions
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
pinch saffron
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (must be fresh – makes a difference)
4 preserved lemons
1/4 cup of your favorite olive mix
Olive Oil
Water

(1) In a large bowl, wash and rinse the chicken. Pat dry with a paper towel and set aside.
(2) In a small mixer, puree one onion and the garlic cloves. Place in a small mixing bowl.
(3) To the onion mixture, add the cumin, cayenne pepper, black pepper, turmeric, saffron, ginger, salt and cilantro. Mix to create a paste.
(4) Rub the chicken with the spice paste.
(5) Cut 4 preserved lemons into quarters. The jar I bought contained small ones; otherwise, I probably would only use 2 if they were bigger.
(6) Add the lemons to the chicken mixture. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes.
(7) Take the other onion and slice it.
(8) In a large saucepan (or tagine), heat 2 tbsp of olive oil on high heat. Saute the onions. Once translucent, add the entire contents of the bowl. Keep the chicken on high heat until the chicken browns slightly.
(9) Reduce heat, and add 1/2 cup of water. Cover and let simmer at low heat for at least 45 minutes. Periodically check the chicken and flip the pieces over.  Add the olives after the chicken has cooked for 30 minutes.  They only need a few minutes to cook and for the flavor to infuse into the food. You will know the chicken is done when the meat falls off the bone. Enjoy!!

Baked Lemon Garlic Chicken

There is nothing better than a warm helping of tender chicken that doesn’t require a knife to eat.  Baking chicken isn’t always as easy as it sounds – without the proper marinade and time, you can end up with dry, lifeless chicken.  In the Middle East, particularly Lebanon, lemon and garlic are often used in chicken recipes.  I’ve added a few twists of my own to the marinade.  The marinade can be made the night before and you can let the chicken marinate overnight for a deeper flavor.  Be sure to cover the chicken tightly with aluminum foil while it cooks to keep it moist, and serve immediately, as chicken can dry out quickly.  This marinade also works well for bbq chicken. As an accompaniment, serve with warm basmati rice.

Baked Lemon Garlic Chicken

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hr

2 bone-in chicken breasts
6 skinless, drumsticks
1 cup of lemon juice
8 cloves of garlic, pressed
6 oz of greek yogurt
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
1/4 tsp turmeric (optional)
4 potatoes

1) In a large Ziploc bag, combine all of the ingredients. Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
2) Slice the potatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices.
3) In a 375 degree oven, place chicken, marinade, and potatoes in an oven proof casserole dish. Cover with aluminum foil.
4) Bake covered for at least 1 hour. Periodically peek at the dish, and baste the chicken with the marinade.
5) For color,turn on the broiler for the last 10 minutes to allow for the chicken to brown slightly. Serve immediately. Enjoy!