Yvonne Maffeis Roast Chicken With Couscous Dates And Buttered Almonds Recipes

YVONNE MAFFEI'S ROAST CHICKEN WITH COUSCOUS, DATES AND BUTTERED ALMONDS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large ovenproof dish or pot with a tight lid, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, the lemon juice, the ginger, the pepper and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the chicken and rub it around in the mixture until evenly coated. Turn chicken breast side down and roast, uncovered, for 50 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine couscous, 2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside for 5 to 15 minutes to soak.
• In a small skillet, melt the butter. Add almonds and cook, stirring constantly, just until toasted and golden; adjust heat so almonds and butter do not scorch. Turn off heat and stir in dates.
• Add almond-date mixture to couscous, along with any butter left in pan, and mix, fluffing the grains with a fork. Mix in 2 tablespoons olive oil, the sugar, the cinnamon and the orange blossom water (if using).
• Drizzle or paint honey over top of chicken (leave chicken breast-side down in pot). Add couscous mixture to the pot, arranging it around the chicken. Cover tightly with a lid or foil and return to the oven for 30 minutes more.
• Remove from the oven. When cool enough to handle, remove chicken and carve into serving pieces. Stir and fluff couscous, scraping up any chicken skin stuck to bottom of pan, and place chicken pieces back on top of couscous. Sprinkle with chopped herbs and serve immediately.

PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.
• Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

SPICED COUSCOUS AND CHICKEN

Steps:

• Bring 2 1/2 cups water to a boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, the ginger, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add the carrots and cook until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain the carrots, reserving the cooking liquid.
• Put the couscous and chicken in a medium bowl; pour 1 cup of the hot cooking liquid on top. Stir, then cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit 5 minutes. Fluff the couscous with a fork.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the almonds, raisins, scallions and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Cook, stirring, until the nuts are toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the cilantro.
• Divide the couscous and chicken among bowls. Top with the carrots and more of the cooking liquid. Sprinkle with the almond mixture and more cilantro. Top with yogurt and/or harissa.
• Per serving: Calories 441; Fat 20 g (Saturated 7 g); Cholesterol 91 mg; Sodium 853 mg; Carbohydrate 42 g; Fiber 8 g; Protein 28 g

MOROCCAN CHICKEN COUSCOUS WITH DATES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Season the chicken, then cook for 10 mins or until browned on both sides. Remove and put in a large baking dish with the dry couscous.
• Heat the remaining oil in the pan, add the onions and garlic, and cook for 5 mins until softened. Add the zest and juice of 1 lemon along with the stock, cumin, cinnamon and dates, then bring to the boil.
• Pour the date mixture over the chicken and couscous, sprinkle over the almonds, cover with foil and bake for 20 mins. Serve sprinkled with the remaining zest and parsley.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH COUSCOUS, DATES AND BUTTERED ALMONDS RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large ovenproof dish or pot with a tight lid, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, the lemon juice, the ginger, the pepper and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the chicken and rub it around in the mixture until evenly coated. Turn chicken breast side down and roast, uncovered, for 50 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine couscous, 2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside for 5 to 15 minutes to soak. In a small skillet, melt the butter. Add almonds and cook, stirring constantly, just until toasted and golden; adjust heat so almonds and butter do not scorch. Turn off heat and stir in dates. Add almond-date mixture to couscous, along with any butter left in pan, and mix, fluffing the grains with a fork. Mix in 2 tablespoons olive oil, the sugar, the cinnamon and the orange blossom water (if using). Drizzle or paint honey over top of chicken (leave chicken breast-side down in pot). Add couscous mixture to the pot, arranging it around the chicken. Cover tightly with a lid or foil and return to the oven for 30 minutes more. Remove from the oven. When cool enough to handle, remove chicken and carve into serving pieces. Stir and fluff couscous, scraping up any chicken skin stuck to bottom of pan, and place chicken pieces back on top of couscous. Sprinkle with chopped herbs and serve immediately.

SAFFRON BUTTER CHICKEN WITH DATE & COUSCOUS STUFFING

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Melt half the butter in a pan over a medium heat and fry the onion until soft. Add the garlic, cumin, ginger and chilli, and cook for 2 mins more. Stir in the couscous, then pour over the stock and tip in the dates and barberries. Turn off the heat, cover and leave for 15 mins for the couscous to absorb the liquid.
• Use a fork to stir the walnuts, herbs and spring onions through the couscous. Leave to cool.
• Stuff the chicken with the cooled couscous mixture, pushing it well into the cavity. Let the excess spill out into the tin, then slide it under the chicken to act as a trivet. Rub the remaining butter all over the chicken. Season, then roast for 1 hr 15 mins. Keep an eye on it and if the couscous stuffing that's spilled out is getting too dark, cover it with foil.
• To make the saffron butter, melt the unsalted butter, then add a generous pinch of saffron and let this sit for about 30 mins, to allow the butter to be properly infused. About 10 mins before the end of the cooking time, pour over the chicken. Serve with Greek yogurt and a green salad, if you like.

ROASTED CURRIED CHICKEN WITH COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Stir together 2 tablespoons of smoked paprika, chili powder, 7 1/2 teaspoons curry powder, 4 1/2 teaspoons onion powder, salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon sage, and ginger in a small bowl. Pour in 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/2 cup chicken broth, and vegetable oil; stir to form a paste.
• Rub a little of the paste on the inside cavity of the chicken, then massage the remaining paste all over the chicken, placing it under the skin where you can. Truss the chicken if desired, and place onto a roasting pan.
• Roast in preheated oven until the chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear, about 90 minutes. If using a meat thermometer, be sure the chicken has reached at least 165 degrees F (75 degrees C) in the thickest part of the thigh.
• While the chicken is roasting, bring 1 cup chicken broth, water, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and butter to a boil in a large saucepan. Stir together the couscous 1 tablespoon curry powder, 2 teaspoons onion powder, 2 teaspoons paprika, 1/2 teaspoon sage, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, and the bay leaf in a large bowl. Stir the couscous into the boiling liquid, and cook for 3 minutes. Turn the heat off and cover. Keep the couscous warm until the chicken is ready.

LEMON-ROASTED CHICKEN WITH OLIVE COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Place chicken on a rack in a shallow roasting pan, breast side up., Tuck wings under chicken; tie drumsticks together., With fingers, carefully loosen skin from the chicken breast; place lemon slices and fennel under the skin. Secure skin to underside of breast with toothpicks. Rub skin with oil; sprinkle with pepper and salt., Roast at 350° for 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until a thermometer inserted in thigh reads 180°, basting occasionally with pan drippings. Remove chicken from the oven; cover loosely with foil and let stand for 15 minutes before carving., Meanwhile, prepare couscous according to package directions, adding thyme and salt to water before heating. Stir in olives and pine nuts during the last minute of cooking. Serve with chicken.