Sunday 23 January 2011

Moroccan chicken

This chicken isn't fully roasted but it doesn't taste too different, if anything more juicy just without such crispy skin. But you don't need the crispy skin when you've got the crispiest Goose fat potatoes! There's not a whole lot of things that Nick does better than me, but I got to say, his roast potatoes always steal the show ;) Here he mixed them with cubed sweet potato too which added a little something. 
You need a large casserole pot that will fit a whole chicken in. 
Saute some sliced onions with a little garlic in a good glug of olive oil. Sprinkle in a pinch of saffron strands. Now you can either put a jointed chicken in and brown the pieces or you can just plonk the whole chicken in. Pour over chicken stock to about half the way up the chicken. Simmer for 45 minutes. 
At this stage, I lift out the chicken and drain of its juices back into the pan. Drizzle a little olive oil over the skin and pop into a hot oven to roast until cooked. 
Turn the heat down on the casserole pan and add a few sliced carrots and the sliced skin of 4 small preserved lemons. This recipe is nothing without the preserved lemons! 
The sauce will start to reduce. Season, and add a little ground ginger and the smallest pinch of cinnamon. Add chopped coriander and parsley and two small handfuls of olives (black, green, violet or a mix) It doesn't matter if the olives are stoned or not, but if they're not tell your guests!
The sauce will reduce to a gravy consistency and will be perfect spooned over your chicken and roasties. 






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