Moroccan Style Chicken
If you’re anything like me, chicken makes your dinner rotation fairly often. It’s readily available and still a relatively cheap piece of meat (especially when you have three hungry eaters like I don in the family), plus, who doesn’t like a comforting chicken dinner at this time of year? But this is no ordinary chicken dinner. This Moroccan style chicken recipe takes things to a new level of delightfulness.
I’ve called it Moroccan style as normally you would make a spice rub and let the flavors infuse into the meat of the chicken overnight. But you know me, I want dinner on the table in 30 minutes, so, I’m using a harissa paste instead of the rub, and it turns out just as amazing but in a faction of the time.
Some may call this chicken tagine, but you really don’t need a special tagine pot to arrive at an authentic taste, just use just a heavy-based frying pan with a tight fitting lid. This is easy to make and the result is fork tender, super succulent chicken boasting unique warm flavors that will have you returning for more! Enjoy
Moroccan Style Chicken
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, peeled and sliced
3/4lb boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces (Free range chicken if you can)
2 North Carolina sweet potatoes, washed and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tablespoons Harissa paste (3 to 4 if you’re feeling really spicy)
1x 14.5oz can chopped tomatoes
2 cups couscous
3 cups low in sodium vegetable stock
4 tablespoons Greek yoghurt
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped pistachio nuts
How to make:
Take a large frying pan, place over a medium high heat, add the oil, when hot add the onions and cook gently for 5 minutes or until soft.
Add the chicken pieces and continue to cook for 10 minutes, until the chicken starts to color.
Add the Harissa paste, canned tomatoes and diced sweet potatoes, stir in so that the ingredients are fully coated, pop on the lid, turn the heat to a simmer and cook for a further 15 minutes.
While the chicken is cooking, heat the stock until boiling. Place the couscous into a large bowl, pour over the stock, immediately warp the bowl with plastic-wrap and allow the stock to be absorbed into the couscous, approx. 10 minutes. Then remove the plastic, and take a fork and stir the couscous.
Check that the chicken is cooked all the way through and that the sweet potatoes are tender. Serve the Moroccan style chicken on a bed of couscous, finished with Greek yoghurt, chopped cilantro and crushed pistachios.