Dutch Oven Moroccan Chicken Recipes

MOROCCAN CHICKEN THIGHS

Steps:

• Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Let come to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Combine chicken broth, paprika, cumin, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, and 2 teaspoons lemon zest in a bowl.
• Heat oils in a cast iron skillet until they begin to smoke. Add chicken thighs, skin-side down, and cook for 4 minutes. Flip thighs and continue cooking until skin is crispy, about 4 minutes more. Transfer to a plate. Saute onion in the skillet until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour chicken broth mixture carefully over onion; scrape up any browned bits off the bottom of the skillet.
• Return chicken thighs to the skillet. Spoon some of the liquid over the thighs.
• Transfer skillet to the preheated oven; bake until chicken thighs are no longer pink in the center, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Add olives to the skillet. Drizzle lemon juice over the thighs and garnish the whole dish with parsley.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN

Steps:

• Season chicken with salt and brown in a large saucepan over medium heat until almost cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
• Saute onion, garlic, carrots and celery in same pan. When tender, stir in ginger, paprika, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper and turmeric; stir fry for about 1 minute, then mix in broth and tomatoes. Return chicken to pan, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes.
• Add chickpeas and zucchini to pan and bring to simmering once again; cover pan and cook for about 15 minutes, or until zucchini is cooked through and tender. Stir in lemon juice and serve.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN WITH SQUASH AND DRIED PLUMS

Steps:

• In a medium glass bowl, combine the spice mixture, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the lemon zest, lemon juice, and harissa. Add the chicken thighs and stir to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 3 hours. Warm the chicken broth and add the saffron strands, then allow to steep at least 1 hour or up to 3 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Remove the chicken thighs from the marinade. In a Dutch oven over high heat, brown the chicken thighs on both sides in 2 tablespoons olive oil, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Set chicken aside on a plate. Reduce the heat to medium, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan, and saute the onion until golden, about 5 minutes. Place the chicken thighs on top of the onions and add any accumulated juices from the plate. Arrange the zucchini and yellow squash and tomato quarters on top of the chicken and tuck in the prunes and olives. Season well with salt and pepper. Pour over the chicken broth and saffron. Cover and place on the bottom rack of the oven. Let cook undisturbed 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is falling off the bone. Remove from the oven and transfer the contents of the Dutch oven to a large serving dish.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small saucepan over high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the almonds and fry until the skins begin to crackle, about 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the almonds and hot oil over the vegetables and chicken on the serving dish. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve, spooning over the sauce in the dish and garnishing each plate with the lemon quarters.
• Combine the spices in a coffee grinder and grind to a medium-fine powder. Add the kosher salt and pepper. Store in an air-tight container, if not using immediately.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN TAGINE (DUTCH OVEN OR CROCK POT)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375.
• In a Dutch oven, heat up 2 Tablespoons olive oil. Sauté onions and garlic for a few minutes until soft.
• Layer rest of tagine ingredients (except for herb blend) with parsley and cilantro on top.
• In a 2 cup measuring cup add 1 ½ cups water, 2 Tablespoons olive oil and the dried herbs. Mix well.
• Pour water/herb mixture over tagine ingredients.
• Cover Dutch oven and bake for 1 hour.
• Remove cover and bake for ½ hour more.
• Crockpot version:
• Add all ingredients making sure that chicken is under liquid.
• Cook on high for 5 hours.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN COUSCOUS

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, combine chicken, carrots, onions, tomatoes, chickpeas, stock, water, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Break up the tomatoes with a spoon.
• Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Add zucchini, and cook until chicken is cooked through, yet still tender, about 15 minutes more.
• Serve couscous in bowls. Spoon chicken, vegetables, and broth on top.

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.).

DUTCH OVEN MOROCCAN CHICKEN

Steps:

• RUB THE THIGHS Trim the thighs of any excess fat. Combine 2 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons paprika, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon dried ginger, and 1 teaspoon dried garlic. Rub into both sides of the chicken. Use all of the rub.
• In a large Dutch oven, fry the chicken pieces in 2 tablespoons olive oil, searing the meat over medium heat until nice and brown, then remove the pieces to a plate and set aside. Don't let the oil smoke!
• PREPARE THE VEGETABLES Make sure there are at least two tablespoons of oil in the Dutch oven. Slice the onions into 1/4 inch wedges. Wash and blot the carrots with paper towels, and add the onions and carrots to the Dutch oven. Fry over medium heat until the onions start to brown.
• Then add the 4 tablespoons minced garlic and stir, and then add the 1/2 cup chicken broth, 1/4 cup lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons honey. Stir.
• Slice the bell pepper but set it aside.
• ADD THE FRIED THIGHS Add the chicken thighs, pushing them down into the carrots and onions. Add sliced red bell pepper.
• Stir, cover, and simmer over low heat until chicken and vegetables are very tender. About 24 minutes to cook boneless thighs, and 40 to 45 minutes to cook bone-in thighs. Garnish immediately with cilantro, parsley, and chopped green onions and serve. Enjoy!
• SERVING SUGGESTIONS Serve with basmati rice cooked with 1 cup of golden raisins, or cooked buttered egg noodles or mashed potatoes. This is also good served with rice pilaf.
• COOK'S TIP: You can change this up and make it your own. Oven cooking: Bake at 350 to 375 for 30 to 40 minutes depending on your oven.

MOROCCAN-SPICED CHICKEN TAGINE

Steps:

• 1. Sprinkle the chicken with salt. Place the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chicken, onion, zucchini and tomatoes. Cook, stirring, until the chicken is no longer pink and the vegetables are tender, about 4 to 6 minutes.
• 2. Add all remaining ingredients except the couscous and cilantro. Bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the couscous, cover, and remove from the heat. Let stand for 5 to 7 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Fluff the couscous with a fork. Serve sprinkled with cilantro.

MOROCCAN TAGINE OF CHICKEN WITH APRICOTS

Steps:

• In a shallow non-metallic dish, mix the chicken with the crushed garlic, orange juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, cilantro, mint, cumin and nutmeg. Cover, and let marinate overnight (but give it a stir at least once).
• In a large dutch oven, heat 2 TBS oil over med/ high heat. Halve the onion lengthwise and thinly slice it crosswise. Add the onion and the minced garlic to the pot, and stir until softened and cooked, but not browned. Remove from pot and set aside.
• Add 1 more tablespoon of the oil and add the chicken, reserving the marinade. Brown the chicken in the pot and then add the onions, prunes, apricots and their soaking liquid, marinade, chicken stock and salt (tip: "rinse" the marinade dish with the chicken stock to ensure that all of the spices, etc, make it into the pot).
• Bring to a boil, then immediately lower to a simmer and cover with a lid. Simmer for 2-2 1/2hours. Towards the end, remove the lid from the pot to allow the liquid to evaporate a little.
• Serve warm and sprinkled with sesame seeds, if desired.