Moroccan Chicken

Have you ever got excited after watching a video that you immediately spring into action? I'm talking cooking video here, so don't get any funny ideas.

While researching how to roast a whole chicken, specifically the way the angmohs do it, I came across AlmazanKitchen on Youtube.  

Here the cooking is done in the wild using wood fire and the close up shots of the food absolutely kills. If you don't believe me, watch this Ultimate Moroccan Chicken video and tell me you are not sold.

So I made a note to buy chicken thighs on my next supermarket run. Unfortunately, I did not do a stock check on my dry whole spices as I had run out of coriander seeds. 

Instead of whole spices (which would have made the dish super awesome) I made do with ground spices which I suspect may be past due (the aroma was not as intense).

The chicken is coated with a dry spice rub before being pan fried. I reckon the meat could benefit from being marinated overnight and that was what I did.

I simply combined the ground spices and rubbed aromatic mix onto the thighs and placed them in the fridge (something AlmazanKitchen can't do since they are in the wild).

The next day, these were taken out from the fridge to stand to room temperature. I waited until the chicken was no longer cold to the touch and shallow fried them in my cast iron pan.

Once they skin was golden brown, I removed the chicken from the pan and added sliced onions. My pan is not big enough to accommodate all the chicken thighs and the onions, hence I had to cook them in batches.

When the onions were brown at the edges, I added chopped garlic and continued to fry the onions until they were wilted and almost brown.

I had to stop there to transfer the onions, oil and all into my brand new Dutch Oven. I probably could have done all that frying in the Dutch Oven but the cast iron pan has a bigger flat area and is more suitable.

As the onions sizzled, I added a cup of crushed tomatoes, brought it to a boil and then added the fried chicken. I lowered the heat and brought it to a simmer.

Since I am not using free range chicken (which is tougher), I simmered the dish for only 30 minutes. That's when I realized that the chicken released so much water that the gravy was very diluted. That's the problem with our local commercial chicken. They suffer from water retention, an affliction I am familiar with.

So I removed the chicken, added another cup of crushed tomatoes and simmered the gravy until it was thick. I also added some dried figs since I did not have any dried apricots on hand.

I'll have to say that the chicken tasted every bit as gorgeous as it looked on AlmazanKitchen. Tender succulent chicken full of exotic flavors coated with an aromatic tangy sauce, I was so impressed.

I wished that I had added the figs much sooner as they would have softened, broken down and contributed some sweetness to the dish.

I also believe that this is a dish that would benefit from sitting and would taste even more amazing the following day. Well, I ate one thigh (look at my self restraint) and the rest I kept in the freezer.

This recipe is a keeper and I would not hesitate to have another go, but with toasted and ground whole spices which would elevate the flavor profile to greater heights.

Moroccan Chicken

Recipe source : Adapted from AlmazanKitchen

Note : I used ready ground spices as I did not have any whole spices on hand. Recommended to use whole spices, toasted and pounded.

Ingredients :

- 6 chicken thighs, cleaned and pat dry 

Dry spice rub, mix together :

- 1 tsp coriander powder

- 2 tsp cumin powder

- 1 tsp cinnamon powder

- 1 tsp pepper

- 1 tsp chilli flakes

- 1 tsp cayenne pepper

- 1 tsp turmeric powder

- 1 tsp sea salt

Extra spices for the gravy :

- 1 tsp coriander powder

- 1 tsp cumin powder

- 1 tsp pepper

- 1 tsp turmeric powder

- 1 tsp salt 

- 2 cups crushed tomatoes

- 2 big onions, sliced

- 2 large cloves garlic, chopped

- 8 dried figs (or apricots)

- Italian parsley for garnishing (optional)

Method :

1. Coat the chicken thighs with the dry spice rub.

2. Leave in the fridge overnight to marinate.

3. Before cooking, take the chicken out of the fridge to come to room temperature.

4. Heat oil in pan and shallow fry the chicken until golden brown (need not be cooked through as we will be simmering it in sauce).

5. Remove fried chicken and set aside.

6. In the same oil, fry the sliced onions.

7. When onions are browned at the edges, add chopped garlic.

8. When onions are wilted and browned, add the crushed tomatoes and bring to a boil.

9. Return the fried chicken to the pan (including pan juices), add dried figs and simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes until chicken is tender and the gravy is thick.

10. Adjust for seasoning and serve.

11. Garnish with chopped Italian parsley if you wish.