Moroccan Chicken

Delicately spiced Chicken that’s perfect with rice, cous cous or crunchy greens. A firm fave in the Henschel household…

Serves: 4
Difficulty: Not too tricky

Ingredients

• 2 tsp Paprika
• 1 tsp Ground Cumin
• 1 tsp Ground Ginger
• 1 tsp Turmeric
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp Freshly Ground Pepper
• 2 Tbsp House Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 chicken, 1.5-2kg, cut into 8 pieces
• Salt
• 3 Cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Onion, chopped
• The rind from 1 Moroccan Preserved Lemon (rinsed in cold water, pulp discarded, rind cut into thin strips)
• Handful of Pitted Green Olives
• Glug of Water
• Handful of Chopped fresh Coriander
• Handful of Chopped fresh flat-leaf Parsley

Method

Combine all the Spices in a large bowl. Pat dry the Chicken pieces and put in the bowl, coat well with the Spice mixture. Let the Chicken stand for one hour in the Spices.

If you are using a clay tagine (if you have one, you must soak the bottom in water overnight before using), place it on a heat diffuser on the heating element to prevent the tagine from cracking, and place the Olive oil in the tagine and heat it on medium heat. If you do not have a tagine, you can use a thick-bottomed, large skillet with a cover.

Heat the oil in the skillet on medium high heat. In either case, sprinkle the Chicken pieces very lightly with salt (go easy on the salt, the olives and preserved lemons are salty) and place skin side down in the tagine or skillet for 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Lower the heat to medium-low, add the Garlic and Onions over the Chicken. Cover and let cook for 15 minutes.

Turn Chicken pieces over. Add the Lemon slices, Olives, Raisins, and 1/2 cup Water. Bring to a simmer on medium heat, then lower the heat to low, cover, and cook for an additional 30 minutes, until the Chicken is cooked through and quite tender. Mix in fresh Parsley and Cilantro right before serving. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve with Couscous, Rice, or Rice Pilaf.