I’m not going to lie when I tell you that the inspiration for this dinner was my husband requesting sangria this week. Yes, when I said “what do you want for dinner this week?” his answer was, “something that goes with sangria.” Nice. Off I went in search of something Spanish or Moroccan flavored. It doesn’t take much to encourage me to seek out tasty new ethnic recipes. I looked and looked and kept coming back to this recipe for Moroccan Chicken with Green Olives from Epicurious.
I love making dishes like this. There’s something about browning the chicken, cooking the onions, adding the spices and simmering everything together that just makes me happy. The house smelled amazing and I didn’t even have to turn on the oven on this hot day.
This was delicious and according to Epicurious, healthy and relatively low in fat. I thought the flavors were really fresh and great for summer. I also love this method of preparing chicken because it always turns out so tender and flavorful.
Moroccan Chicken
(Recipe heavily adapted from epicurious.com)
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large sweet onion, thinly slice
2 garlic cloves, smashed and minced
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup green olives, sliced in half
Directions:
Rinse chicken and pat dry. Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Place chicken in pan and cook for about 2 minutes per side, until browned. Work in two batches if necessary. Do not crowd the pan. Remove chicken from pan and place on plate.
Add onions to the pan and cook for about 4-5 minutes, until lightly browned. Add in garlic, lemon wedges and spices and cook for about 1 more minute. Add in chicken broth and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add chicken browned chicken pieces back to the pan, reduce heat to medium low and cover. Simmer for about 2o-25 minutes, or until chicken has reached an internal temperature of 160 when measured close to the bone.
Remove chicken from pan and place on plate. Add olives to sauce mixture and bring to a boil. Cook for about 5 minutes or until reduced and thickened slightly. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve. I recommend serving over rice or cous cous.
Yield: 4 servings
I haven’t had Moroccan food in awhile but I definitely want to try this!
Hey girl – it’s Tracy Bennett! Had fun seeing you this weekend. Your chicken looks awesome – I love dishes like this too! Thanks again for the suggestion about my bro – we will definitely have to bake when he deploys. Talk to you soon, have a fun 4th!!