Moroccan Chicken With Fall Vegetables And Dried Plums Recipes

ALE-SIMMERED CHICKEN WITH DRIED PLUMS

Steps:

• Trim excess fat from chicken parts and cut breasts in half so that all the pieces will cook in roughly the same amount of time. Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Heat vegetable oil in a large, oven-proof pot (such as a Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Brown chicken on all sides, about 5 minutes per side, then set aside on a plate and reserve. Add the onions and garlic and cook a couple minutes to sweat them down a little. Add the ale and deglaze the bottom of the pot. Add the tomato paste and canned tomatoes and stir well until tomato paste is dissolved. Add carrots, thyme, and plums. Return the chicken to the pot along with any reserved juices. Gently submerge the chicken pieces by nestling them into liquid (this will cook them evenly without drying them out).
• Return to medium heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and continue to simmer on low for 1 1/2 hours until chicken is cooked through and starting to fall off the bone.

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 WITH DRIED FRUIT AND OLIVE TOPPING

Steps:

• Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
• Sprinkle salt, pepper, and thyme evenly over chicken.
• Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from pan; cover and keep warm.
• Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in pan.
• Add onion to pan; saute 2 minutes until tender.
• Add garlic to pan; saute 30 seconds.
• Add remaining ingredients to pan (fruit, wine, broth, olives, salt, and pepper); cook 5 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates.
• When there was still some liquid left in the pan, I threw the chicken back in to warm through and soak some of the flavor.

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.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and brown on one side. Turn and add the onion; continue cooking until the onion and chicken are browned. Drain the excess fat. Stir in the tomatoes, juice, dried plums, allspice, salt and pepper. Cover and cook 5 minutes over medium heat.
• Uncover and simmer about 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens and the chicken is done; turning the chicken and stirring the sauce occasionally.
• Meanwhile combine the boiling water and tabbouleh in a medium saucepan. Cover and rest for 5 minutes. Add the parsley to tabbouleh and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve the chicken and sauce on a bed of tabbouleh.
• Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories 360; Fat 10g; Saturated fat 2g; Cholesterol 55mg; Sodium 470mg; Total Carbohydrate 52g; Fiber 11g; Protein 20g; Vitamin A 25%DV*; Vitamin C 40%DV; Calcium 8%DV; Iron 20%DV.
• *Daily Value.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN WITH FALL VEGETABLES AND DRIED PLUMS

Steps:

• brown chicken, remove from pan; add onions & garlic, cook til limp; add spices, stock, cooked chicken and vegetables, put into 350º oven for 45 mins. Add olives and prunes and cook another 30-45mins. Finish with a handful of chopped fresh cilantro, serve over couscous.