Moroccan Style Roast Chicken Recipes

HARVEY'S MOROCCAN ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• For the spice mix: Mix together in a bowl the cloves, pepper, fennel, sesame seeds, coriander, cumin, allspice, nutmeg, ginger and cardamom. Set aside.
• For the spice paste: Place the paprika, lemon juice, the spice mix (from Step 2), salt, chopped mint, black pepper and garlic cloves in a blender. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and blend to until ingredients are mixed, about 6 or 8 pulses. Slowly add the additional olive oil if mixture seems too thick to spread. Blend just until mixture is a smooth paste.
• Spread potatoes and carrots in a roasting pan. Rub about 1/4 of the spice paste inside the cavity of the chicken. Rub the remainder of the paste on the outside of the chicken including the underside. Place the chicken directly on the carrots and potatoes. Pierce the 2 lemons all over with a fork, and place them into the chicken cavity.
• Tent the chicken with aluminum foil. Roast approximately 2 hours until the thickest part of the thigh reaches 180 degrees F (80 degrees C) and the juices run clear. Remove from the oven and let rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

MOROCCAN-STYLE ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 400°F
• Whisk butter, honey, cinnamon, and turmeric in small bowl.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Transfer 1/4 cup honey butter to small bowl; reserve.
• Place chicken on rack in roasting pan.
• Brush with some of remaining honey butter; sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Roast chicken until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165°F to 170°F, brushing occasionally with honey butter and covering loosely with foil if browning too quickly, about 1 hour 10 minutes.
• Transfer to platter. Serve with reserved honey butter.

MOROCCAN HARISSA ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Tear open the New Mexico and guajillo chiles and discard the seeds and stems. (You may leave the seeds in if you prefer a spicy harissa.) Tear the chiles into large pieces and place them in a medium bowl. Pour 2 cups boiling water over the chiles and let stand until softened, about 20 minutes.
• Put the coriander and cumin seeds in a small skillet and cook, swirling often, over medium heat, until the seeds are fragrant and lightly toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the spices to a blender and add the oil, garlic, lemon juice and 2 teaspoons kosher salt, then puree until smooth. Using tongs, add the chiles to the blender along with 1/2 cup of their soaking liquid (discard the rest) and puree until very smooth, about 2 minutes on high. Season the harissa with pepper and set aside.
• Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 475 degrees F.
• In a small bowl, stir together 6 tablespoons butter with 1/4 cup of the harissa until smooth and well-combined; set aside. Place the chicken breast-side-up on a wire rack fitted into a rimmed baking sheet. Slide your forefinger gently under the skin of the chicken and loosen it from the breasts and thighs. Using a spoon, stuff the harissa butter underneath the skin of the breasts and thighs and press it so it spreads out evenly. Rub the exterior of the chicken with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity of the bird with the onion and celery and tie the legs together with butcher's twine.
• Roast the chicken for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 400 degrees F and continue to roast until the skin is crispy and golden brown and a thermometer inserted into the thigh (avoiding bone) reads 160 degrees F, about 45 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and immediately brush all over with the remaining harissa. Set the chicken aside to rest for at least 10 minutes, then serve.

PAULA WOLFERT'S CHICKEN, MOROCCAN-STYLE

Steps:

• Wash the chicken, then drain. The remainder of this step is optional; the North Africans do it to purify the chicken. Blend the garlic with one tablespoon salt to make a paste. Rub the paste into the cavity and the flesh of the chicken. Rinse well.
• Place the chicken in the casserole with the spices, garlic, onions, herbs, oil and two cups water. Simmer, covered, 30 minutes, turning the chicken often in the cooking liquid.
• Meanwhile, pit the olives. To rid them of their bitterness boil them three times, changing the water each time.
• Add the drained pitted olives and the lemon juice to the casserole and continue cooking until the chicken is very tender. Transfer the chicken to a serving dish. Using a slotted spoon, remove the olives and place around the chicken. Meanwhile reduce the cooking liquid in the casserole to a thick sauce. Adjust the salt and lemon juice to taste. Pour over the chicken. Serve at once.

MOROCCAN ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil; spray the foil with cooking spray.
• 2. Mix together the honey, olive oil, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, and garlic in a small bowl. Place the chicken, onions, and potatoes in a large bowl. Toss with three-quarters of the honey mixture and arrange in a single layer on the prepared pan. Toss the apricots and raisins with the remaining honey mixture and set aside.
• 3. Bake the chicken, onions, and potatoes for 35 minutes. Add the apricots and raisins and bake until the chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes more. Garnish with the pistachios and cilantro.

MOROCCAN-STYLE ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 400°F. Whisk butter, honey, cinnamon, and turmeric in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer 1/4 cup honey butter to small bowl; reserve.
• Place chicken on rack in roasting pan. Brush with some of remaining honey butter; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast chicken until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165°F to 170°F, brushing occasionally with honey butter and covering loosely with foil if browning too quickly, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Transfer to platter. Serve with reserved honey butter.

MOROCCAN ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425° and position a rack in the lower third of the oven. In a bowl, mix the butter with the cumin, coriander, sweet paprika, cayenne and cinnamon and season with salt and pepper.
• Pat the chicken dry. Rub half of the spice butter under the skin and the rest over the chicken; season with salt and pepper.
• Set the chicken breast-side-up on a rack in a roasting pan. Scatter the onion, garlic cloves, dates and dried apricots and add 1/2 cup of water. Roast for 30 minutes, until the breast is firm and just beginning to brown in spots. Using tongs, turn the chicken breast-down and roast for 20 minutes longer, until the skin is lightly browned.
• Using tongs, turn the chicken breast-side-up. Add another 1/2 cup of water. Roast for about 20 minutes longer, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the inner thigh registers 175° to 180°.
• Tilt the chicken to drain the cavity juices into the pan; transfer the bird to a cutting board. Remove the rack from the pan and spoon off the fat. Set the pan over high heat. Add the stock and cook, scraping up any browned bits. Carve the chicken and pass the chunky jus at the table.

MOROCCAN STYLE CHICKEN

Steps:

• Add first 8 ingredients to a gallon sized zip top bag. Squoosh around (yes, that is the technical term) to coat the chicken evenly.
• Heat your largest skillet over medium high heat. When it is nice and hot, add the chicken to the pan, spreading it in a single even layer.
• Brown chicken; turn and brown other side, about 4 minutes per side.
• Scoot the chicken to one side of the pan and add the onions. Saute until just carmelized.
• Add apricots and chicken stock; stir gently to combine. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down and simmer 10 minutes.

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 ROAST CHICKEN WITH APRICOTS

Steps:

• Spatchcock the chickens - see tip, below, or ask your butcher to do it for you. Put the olive oil, coriander, sumac, cumin, fennel, chilli, garlic, lemon zest and juice, pomegranate molasses and some ground black pepper into a food processor or blender, and whizz to a paste. Divide between 2 large food bags, add a chicken to each, then squeeze out the air and seal before giving everything a good squelch to coat thoroughly. Marinate for 24-48 hrs in the fridge, turning and squishing every so often.
• Fire up a barbecue and let the flames die down, or heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Lift the chicken out of the bags and season well with salt. Barbecue or roast the chicken for 25-30 mins on each side until crisp and cooked through. Set aside on a platter, loosely cover with foil, to rest while you do the apricots. If you roasted rather than barbecued, keep the tin juices warm for serving.
• Put the apricots in a small, snug roasting tin. Whisk the preserved lemon, honey, orange blossom and vinegar with some seasoning. Pour over the apricots and roast, or sit on the barbecue, for 20 mins until soft.
• Serve the chicken with any cooking juices, the apricots and saffron yogurt.