Best Janes Moroccan Chicken Recipes

GRILLED MOROCCAN CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place chicken breasts between 2 pieces of wax or parchment paper and, using a meat mallet, pound to an even ½-inch thickness. (Skip this step if substituting chicken tenderloins.)
• Mix all ingredients except chicken together in a small bowl or measuring cup. Place pounded chicken breasts inside a 1 gallon zip-lock bag. Add marinade to the bag, press air out and seal shut. Massage marinade into the breasts until evenly coated. Place the bag in a bowl in the refrigerator (to protect against leakage), and let the chicken marinate for 5-6 hours.
• Clean grill and preheat to high. Place chicken breasts on grill, spooning marinade over top. Grill, covered, for 2-3 minutes per side. Do not overcook.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN TAGINE

Steps:

• Combine the spices in a small bowl and set aside. Zest the lemon. Combine 1 teaspoon of the lemon zest with 1 minced garlic clove; set aside.
• Season both sides of chicken pieces with 2 teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or pan over medium-high heat until beginning to smoke. Brown the chicken pieces skin side down in single layer until deep golden, about 5 minutes; using tongs, flip the chicken pieces over and brown the other side, about 4 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a large plate; when cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and discard. Pour off and discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan.
• Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until they have browned at the edges but still retain their shape, 5 to 7 minutes (add a few tablespoons of water now and then if the pan gets too dark). Add the remaining minced garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the spices and flour and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the broth, honey, remaining lemon zest, and ¼ teaspoon salt, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Add the chicken (with any accumulated juices) back in, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add the carrots, cover, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the carrots are tender-crisp, about 10 minutes more.
• Stir in the olives, reserved lemon zest-garlic mixture, cilantro, and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice; taste the sauce and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice, if desired. Serve with couscous.
• Note: Don't fret too much over trimming the chicken thighs. The skin gets removed midway through the cooking process and most of the fat will cook off and get drained. I usually just take kitchen shears and quickly snip off any excess skin or fat. Cracked green olives are olives that have been 'cracked' or split open before curing, allowing the brine or marinade to penetrate. You can find them in your supermarket's olive bar, or substitute any green olive that you like.
• Make-Ahead: After you have completed the step of cooking the carrots, the dish can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. To serve, gently warm on the stove until the chicken is heated through, then proceed to the step where the olives and remaining ingredients are added.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN WITH PRESERVED LEMON AND OLIVES - D'JAJ M'QUALLI B' DAGHMIRA

Steps:

• Make the marinade: In a small glass, top the saffron threads with 1/4 cup of hot water and set aside for about 10 min. Stir in salt, turmeric, ginger pepper and smen.
• Cut the chicken into pieces and transfer them a large bowl. Add the marinade, turning and rubbing each piece to coat it thoroughly. Cover and let it absorb the spices for a minimum of 1 hour or overnight.
• Transfer the chicken and marinade to a deep cooking pot with a heavy bottom (or a tagine). Add the giblets, the finely chopped onions, garlic, and the rest of the spices. Top with 1/4 cup of water.
• Bring to a simmer for 10 to 15 minutes over medium heat while tossing the meat a few times. You may cover the pot during this step and uncover it to stir.
• When the water seems to have mostly evaporated and the meat has changed color from all sides, add the oil and enough hot water to cover 2/3 to 3/4 of the chicken.
• Cover and let simmer until the chicken is cooked through and has become tender to the touch. The liquid should have mostly reduced by now. Regularly check the bottom of the pot to prevent any burning or stickiness.
• If the chicken has cooked and you are still left with a good amount of liquid, remove the chicken, cover with foil or cling film, and leave on the side while you carry on with the rest of the recipe.
• There are two ways depending on the type of onions used; this will define when to add most of them during the cooking process. Some onions are more watery then others and tend to melt in a short time; while cooking we hardly need to add water to the dish. Whichever way you go, 1 chopped onion is always cooked with the chicken from the beginning of the cooking.
• Method I: Cook chicken and all onions at the same time, then fish out the chicken once it becomes tender. Reduce the sauce and keep stirring until you get a silky onion gravy.
• Method II: Cook chicken with only 1 chopped onion; remove the cooked chicken then add the other 2 chopped onions and cook them in the sauce, When they become tender and cooked through, toss and break them with a spatula until you get a silky onion paste (the daghmira). It will start separating from the oil when ready.
• Par-boil the chicken livers for 10 to 15 minutes and discard the scum. (You may optionally flavor the water with 1/2 tsp of each of the following: chopped garlic, ground pepper, salt, ginger.) Drain the livers, rinse and set aside.
• Take some of the sauce and cook the livers separately for another 15 min. This is a good idea when you have a mixed table where some don't like them and others do. If you have no picky eaters around, just chuck them in the sauce after you cook the chicken and let them cook as the sauce reduces.
• Again, you may choose to leave them in one piece. In this case, fish them out and put them on the side, covered as they may darken and dry out in contact with air. But you can also grate them or crush them into the daghmira for a thick and richer consistency.
• In the cooking pot: The traditional way of making this dish requires sauteing or frying (rissoler is the French word that comes to mind) the cooked chicken in the oil that separates from the daghmira. We put the chicken back in the oil over medium heat and turn it until golden brown; the chicken remains moist inside. The word m'qualli takes its name from this method.
• In the oven: In recent decades, some have moved to browning the chicken in the oven while we work on the daghmira. If you choose this option, just glaze it with some of the oil from the sauce and brown it for 20 minutes at 400 F/200 C, turning it a couple of times to brown it evenly. A whole chicken might take up to 30 min.
• Traditionally, we start by pouring the marqa (sauce) onto the serving plate then we place the chicken then livers and giblets on top. We coat the top of the chicken with daghmira (the onion paste) and garnish with olives and the rinds of preserved lemon. If we choose to serve this dish with fries, we scatter them on top or arrange them around the chicken.
• If you have used a tagine to cook, you just need to place it directly in the middle of the table as probably the order of chicken and daghmira would be the opposite (daghmira and sauce on the bottom and around while the chicken takes center stage).
• Always serve this dish warm.

MOROCCAN-INSPIRED CHICKEN COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Make the seasoning rub. In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, tomato paste, garlic, and spices. Whisk to combine.
• Pat the chicken dry and season with kosher salt and black pepper on both side. Pour about 3/4 of the rub you just made all over the chicken (reserve the rest for later) and toss to make sure all the pieces are well coated. Set aside for now.
• Put the vegetables and onions in a mixing bowl. Season with kosher salt and black pepper and pour the remaining seasoning rub. Toss to combine.
• Transfer the chicken and vegetables to a large baking pan or rimmed sheet pan.
• Bake in the center of the heated-oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked and the juices run clear. The vegetables should also soften and gain some char.
• While the chicken and veggies are baking, prepare the couscous. Boil the water or both until bubbling. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan. Add the couscous and cook, tossing regularly, until the couscous is toasted to golden brown. Season with kosher salt and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon. Add the boiled water. Immediately turn the heat off and cover the saucepan. Leave the couscous undisturbed for 10 minutes, the couscous should absorb all the liquid. When ready, add the fresh parsley and fluff the couscous with a fork.
• When the chicken is fully cooked through, remove it from the oven. Spoon the couscous between the chicken pieces and allow it about 5 minutes to sop up some of the pan juices. Finish with the raisins, if you like.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN SKEWERS WITH HERB SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.
• For the Chicken:
• Combine all of the spices, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the cubed chicken and toss to coat. Put the chicken on the skewers and lay on the grill. Cook until the chicken is cooked through, turning often so that the spices don't burn, about 10 to 12 minutes. Arrange on a serving platter and serve with the Herb Sauce.
• For the Herb Sauce:
• Add the fresh herbs, spices, salt, lime juice, and honey to a blender carafe. Blend to combine and with the motor running, slowly add the olive oil. Once combined, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary, and transfer to a serving bowl.

JERK CHICKEN WITH PICKLED BANANAS

Steps:

• In a small skillet, toast the coriander and cumin seeds over medium heat, shaking the pan, until fragrant, 2 minutes. Let cool, then grind in a spice grinder until pulverized.
• Add to a large bowl along with all other marinade ingredients (everything but the chicken). Add 1 cup water and whisk to combine. Alternatively, working in two batches, place all marinade ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 2 or 3 times to combine.
• Place chicken in a large container big enough for all pieces plus marinade. Reserve 3/4 cup marinade for later use, and pour remaining marinade over the chicken. Refrigerate 1 or 2 days (chicken can be stored for up to 5 days).
• Prepare the pickled bananas: Add all ingredients except for the bananas to a nonreactive saucepan and boil over high, 10 minutes. Chill completely. Once brine is chilled, peel and slice the bananas on the bias. Add to the brine and chill, at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
• Heat grill to medium-low. Remove chicken from marinade and temper at room temperature for 15 minutes. Place chicken on the grill, skin-side down. Every minute or so, rotate the chicken a half turn so that the skin develops a deep, dark mahogany char and has been slightly crisped and rendered, 8 to 10 minutes total.
• Turn chicken over to finish cooking, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, skin side up. Brush the reserved marinade on the skin side. Remove bananas from brine and serve with jerk chicken.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN ONE-POT

Steps:

• Season 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a flameproof dish, then brown the chicken on all sides. Remove the chicken to a plate.
• Whizz 1 chopped onion, 100g tomatoes, 100g chopped ginger and 3 garlic cloves into a rough paste.
• Fry 1 sliced onion in 1 tbsp olive oil in the dish until softened, then add 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tbsp cumin, 1 tbsp coriander and 1 tbsp cinnamon and fry for 1 min more until fragrant. Add the paste and fry for another few mins to soften.
• Return the chicken to the dish with 1 large butternut squash, cut into big chunks, 600ml chicken stock, 2 tbsp brown sugar and 2 tbsp red wine vinegar.
• Bring to a simmer, then cook for 30 mins until the chicken is cooked through.
• Lift the chicken out and stir in 100g dried cherries, then continue simmering the sauce to thicken while you shred the chicken into bite-sized chunks. Stir the chicken back into the sauce and season.
• Mix 1 finely chopped small red onion, the zest of 1 lemon, a handful of mint leaves and 100g crumbled feta cheese. Scatter over the dish, then serve with couscous and natural yogurt.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN SMOTHERED IN OLIVES

Steps:

• To brine chicken (optional): In a large bowl, combine salt, sugar and 1 cup hot water. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add 3 cups cold water and chicken pieces. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Drain, rinse, and drain again before using.
• In bottom of a large flameproof casserole, arrange onions and top with chicken pieces. Sprinkle with ginger, turmeric, cumin, paprika, garlic and cilantro. Pour chicken broth over all.
• Place over high heat to bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, turning once. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine olives with several cups of water and bring to a boil. Boil 2 minutes, drain well and set aside.
• Add olives and lemon juice to chicken, and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. If desired, simmer for additional time to reduce and thicken sauce. Serve hot.

SPICED MOROCCAN CHICKEN WITH ONIONS AND PRUNES

Steps:

• Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; sauté until brown and just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Using tongs, transfer chicken to plate. Add onions and garlic to same skillet. Sauté until onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Mix in flour, ginger, cinnamon and cumin; stir 1 minute. Gradually whisk in broth. Add prunes, lemon juice and honey. Boil until sauce thickens enough to coat spoon, whisking occasionally, about 8 minutes. Return chicken to skillet. Simmer until heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Transfer chicken and sauce to platter. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.