Moroccan Chicken Brochettes Recipes

MOROCCAN CHICKEN TAGINE

Steps:

• Combine the spices in a small bowl and set aside. Zest the lemon. Combine 1 teaspoon of the lemon zest with 1 minced garlic clove; set aside.
• Season both sides of chicken pieces with 2 teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or pan over medium-high heat until beginning to smoke. Brown the chicken pieces skin side down in single layer until deep golden, about 5 minutes; using tongs, flip the chicken pieces over and brown the other side, about 4 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a large plate; when cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and discard. Pour off and discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan.
• Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until they have browned at the edges but still retain their shape, 5 to 7 minutes (add a few tablespoons of water now and then if the pan gets too dark). Add the remaining minced garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the spices and flour and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the broth, honey, remaining lemon zest, and ¼ teaspoon salt, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Add the chicken (with any accumulated juices) back in, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add the carrots, cover, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the carrots are tender-crisp, about 10 minutes more.
• Stir in the olives, reserved lemon zest-garlic mixture, cilantro, and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice; taste the sauce and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice, if desired. Serve with couscous.
• Note: Don't fret too much over trimming the chicken thighs. The skin gets removed midway through the cooking process and most of the fat will cook off and get drained. I usually just take kitchen shears and quickly snip off any excess skin or fat. Cracked green olives are olives that have been 'cracked' or split open before curing, allowing the brine or marinade to penetrate. You can find them in your supermarket's olive bar, or substitute any green olive that you like.
• Make-Ahead: After you have completed the step of cooking the carrots, the dish can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. To serve, gently warm on the stove until the chicken is heated through, then proceed to the step where the olives and remaining ingredients are added.

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-STYLE GRILLED CHICKEN BROCHETTES

Steps:

• Combine vinegar, honey, oil, garlic, cumin, paprika, cayenne, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl.
• Rinse chicken; pat dry with paper towels. Cut each chicken breast into 4 lengthwise strips. Thread chicken, accordion-style, on eight 8-inches skewers. (If using wooden skewers, soak in water for 30 minutes).
• Place in a 3-quart rectangular baking dish. Pour marinade over chicken. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours, turning skewers occasionally. Remove chicken from marinade; reserve marinade.
• Grill skewers on the rack of an uncovered grill over medium-hot coals for 8 to 10 minutes, or till chicken is tender and no longer pink, turning and brushing with reserved marinade halfway through grilling time. Or, place skewers on the unheated rack of a broiler pan. Broil skewers 4 inches from heat for 5 minutes. Turn and brush with reserved marinade; broil3 to 5 minutes more or until chicken is tender and no longer pink.
• Or, preheat gas grill. Adjust heat for direct cooking. Place skewers on grill rack directly over medium-hot heat. Grill uncovered as directed.

MARINATED CHICKEN BROCHETTES

Steps:

• To make the marinade.
• Crush garlic with 1/2 teaspoon of salt until it becomes a puree. Add the grated ginger. Chop the chilie and coriander add to ginger and garlic with turmeric and black pepper. Mix with the buttermilk.
• Now cut each breast into five pieces, then add to marinade and mix. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and place in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
• 30 minutes before cooking soak the wooden skewers for 30 minutes in hot water.
• Preheat the grill to its highest setting for 10 minutes.
• Dry the skewers and thread half a bay leaf on to each one, then a piece of chicken, a piece of onion and a piece of pepper. carry on alternating the bay leaf , chicken, onion and pepper until you have threaded five pieces of chicken on each skewer, finishing with half a bay leaf on each. Season with salt and pepper and brush the vegetables with a tiny amount of oil. Lay the brochettes on the grill rack about 4 inches from the heat source. Brush liberally with remaining marinade and grill them for 10 minutes, before turning them over and grilling for a another 10 minutes. Brushing with more marinade as they cook and watching them carefully so they do not burn.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Cut 3 deep slashes into each chicken breast and place in an ovenproof baking dish. Mix the lemon zest, juice, oil and spices together, then pour over the chicken. Cover with foil and bake for 20 mins.
• Cook the quinoa according to pack instructions then tip into a large bowl. Stir through the rest of the ingredients and divide between serving plates. Remove the chicken from the oven and serve on top of the quinoa with the juices drizzled over.