NORTH AFRICAN CHICKEN THIGHS WITH DATES & POMEGRAN

North African Chicken Thighs with Dates & Pomegran image

Amazingly flavorful, this is an unbelievable chicken dish you have to try to truly appreciate it.

Provided by Francine Lizotte

Categories Chicken

Time 2h20m

Number Of Ingredients 27

Ingredients

CHICKEN THIGHS
1/4 c slivered almonds
6 large chicken thighs
freshly ground black pepper, to taste (i always use mixed peppercorns)
ground himalayan sea salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp clarified butter
2 c white onions, diced
3/4 c carrots, thinly sliced
3/4 c celery, thinly sliced
2 large roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 Tbsp ras el hanout
1 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
4 large cloves garlic, pressed
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, finely minced
1 c low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 c pomegranate molasses
3/4 c dates, pitted and quartered (about 20 dates)
2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp butter
fresh chopped parsley, for garnish
1/2 c plain yogurt, as a side
COUSCOUS
1 1/2 c low-sodium chicken broth
1/8 tsp ground himalayan sea salt
1 c couscous, medium grind

Steps:

1. In a small sautépan, add almonds and sauté until golden; set aside. Season chicken thighs with black pepper and ground sea salt; set aside. In a large saucepan over medium heat, add oil and clarified butter. When hot, place thighs (skin down first) and sauté about 5 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate and remove most of the fat in the pan, keeping only 1 tbsp. Add the trinity and sauté for 5 minutes. Add chopped tomato and sauté for 3 minutes. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Add Ras el-Hanout, turmeric, cayenne pepper, garlic and ginger; sauté for 1 ½ minutes. Pour chicken broth and pomegranate molasses; cook for 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning if needed by adding freshly ground black pepper. Add dates and sauté for 2 minutes. Place thighs back to the pan, skin up, cover and transfer into the preheated oven for 1:30 hours, basting every 20 minutes.
3. 15 minutes before the end of cooking, start boiling the chicken broth (1 ½ cups) for the couscous and add a pinch sea salt. When boiling, add couscous (1 cup), stir, cover and remove from the heat. Let it stand for 5 minutes; fluff before serving.
4. Remove the saucepan and transfer chicken thighs onto a serving plate. Add cornstarch mixture to thicken the sauce. Add butter to make the sauce shiny. Place chicken over couscous and spoon sauce over. Sprinkle almonds and parsley and serve with plain yogurt on the side. Serve 4 to 6 servings
5. To view this recipe on YouTube, click on this link >>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P6mJMuQtKA