Spiced Chicken Breasts With Dates Recipes

SWEET & SPICY ROAST CHICKEN WITH CARROTS, DATES & PISTACHIOS

Steps:

• Make the marinade: In a medium bowl whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, orange zest, orange juice, olive oil, mustard, honey, red pepper flakes, garlic, thyme, and salt.
• Place the chicken, carrots, onions, and dates in a large sealable plastic bag. Add the marinade and seal shut. Massage to make sure everything is evenly coated with the marinade. Place the bag on a rimmed sheet pan to protect against leakage and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 425°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
• Transfer all ingredients from the bag, including the marinade, to a rimmed sheet pan (do not line the pan with foil). Turn the chicken skin side up. Roast until chicken is lightly browned and cooked through, 40 to 45 minutes. About halfway through cooking, stir the carrots so that they don't burn around the edges of the pan.
• Turn on broiler (leave pan on middle rack), and cook 1 to 3 minutes more, or until skin is golden brown and crispy. Watch carefully: the honey in the marinade can cause the skin to burn quickly.
• Transfer the chicken, carrots, onions and dates onto a platter, along with the sauce in the pan. Sprinkle the parsley, scallions and pistachio nuts over top and serve.

SPICY GLAZED CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Pat chicken dry and pound to an even ½-inch thickness with a heavy skillet or meat pounder.
• In a large (12-inch) skillet, combine the oil, almonds and garlic. Season with salt, then set over high heat. Once the mixture starts to sizzle, reduce heat to medium and cook, swirling occasionally, until light golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and use a slotted spoon to transfer the almonds and garlic to a paper towel-lined plate. (Keep the oil in the skillet.)
• Set the skillet over medium-high. Season the chicken all over with 1 teaspoon salt, then add to the skillet and cook until browned underneath and opaque halfway up the sides, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and transfer the chicken to a plate, seared side up.
• With the skillet still over low heat, add the tomato paste and red-pepper flakes and cook, stirring constantly and scraping up browned bits, until the paste is a shade darker and starts to stick to the skillet, 1 to 2 minutes. Return the chicken, as well as any accumulated juices, seared side up to the skillet, cover, and cook until the chicken is cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. (The moisture from the chicken will keep the tomato paste from burning, but if you're concerned, add a teaspoon of water as a preventative measure.)
• Uncover, add the lemon juice, then flip and drag the chicken through the tomato-lemon glaze to coat all sides. Transfer to plates, spoon over any remaining glaze and sprinkle with the fried almonds and garlic.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH DATES AND MOROCCAN SPICES

Steps:

• Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt, pepper, and flour. Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add half of chicken pieces to pot and cook until browned on all sides, turning occasionally, about 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to baking sheet or platter; repeat with remaining chicken. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from pot and discard. Reduce heat to medium. Add shallots to pot; sauté until golden, about 6 minutes. Add cinnamon sticks, ginger, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne. Stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Increase heat to high; add broth and 3 tablespoons lemon juice. Bring to boil; reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until shallots begin to soften, about 18 minutes. Place chicken pieces atop shallots in pot. Bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until juices run clear when thickest part of drumstick is pierced with knife, about 25 minutes.
• Transfer chicken and shallots to platter; tent with foil. Boil juices in pot until slightly thickened. Stir in dates and remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Reduce heat and simmer gently until dates are heated through, about 2 minutes. Pour sauce and dates over chicken. Sprinkle with almonds and cilantro, and serve.

CHICKEN WITH DATES AND MOROCCAN SPICES

Steps:

• Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt, pepper, and flour. Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat.
• Add half of chicken pieces to pot and cook until browned on all sides, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to baking sheet or platter; repeat with remaining chicken.
• Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from pot and discard. Reduce heat to medium. Add shallots to pot; saute until golden, about 6 minutes.
• Add cinnamon sticks, ginger, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne. Stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Increase heat to high; add broth and 3 tablespoons lemon juice. Bring to boil; reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until shallots begin to soften, about 18 minutes.
• Place chicken pieces atop shallots in pot. Bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until juices run clear when thickest part of drumstick is pierced with knife, about 25 minutes.
• Transfer chicken and shallots to platter; tent with foil. Boil juices in pot until slightly thickened. Stir in dates and remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice.
• Reduce heat and simmer gently until dates are heated through, about 2 minutes. Pour sauce and dates over chicken. Sprinkle with almonds and cilantro, serve.

BAKED SPICED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Combine the paprika, parsley, sugar, mustard, salt, and pepper in a small bowl; set aside.
• Place the chicken pieces in a 9x13 inch baking dish, and coat with the vegetable oil; arrange skin-side up. Sprinkle evenly with the spice mixture.
• Bake the chicken in the preheated oven until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 45 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

SPICED CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients but chicken in a zip-top plastic bag; add chicken.
• Marinate 15-30 minutes.
• Remove chicken from marinade and place on broiler pan; discard marinade.
• Broil approximately 8 minutes per side, until cooked through.

SESAME CHICKEN WITH CASHEWS AND DATES

Steps:

• Season the chicken with salt and pepper while you heat a 12-inch skillet or wok over high heat until it's very hot, at least 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of the sesame oil and swirl the pan; the oil should thin on contact. When the oil is hot, add the ginger, garlic, scallions and chile. Stir-fry until the garlic is golden at the edges, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the 2 remaining tablespoon oil, chicken and cashews, and stir fry until it starts to brown, 4 to 5 minutes (turn down the heat if the cashews are browning too quickly). Add the rice wine, soy sauce and dates; simmer until the sauce reduces to a syrupy consistency and the chicken cooks through, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Stir in the herbs, sprinkle with rice vinegar or lime juice, and serve over rice.