Moroccan chicken with vegetables and dried apricots
porcje: 4 servings
składniki
chicken:
- 2 large chicken breasts 1 lb (450g), or skinless and boneless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon frying oil for the marinade
- 1 tablespoon frying oil for frying
- ½ spice mix see below
- salt and pepper to taste
spice mix:
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes or more, to taste
vegetables:
- 2 tablespoons frying oil
- 1 large onion
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 large carrot
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 1 large zucchini
additionally:
- 7 oz (200g) dried apricots or a little bit less, we like a lot!
- 1.5 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth or just water
to serve:
- 1 cup couscous 6 oz (175g) + 1 cup boiling water / broth (240ml)
- chopped parsley leaves
wykonanie
- Make the spice mix: In a small bowl, stir the spices together.
- Prepare the chicken: Cut it into 1-inch (3 cm) cubes. Rub with the ½ of the spice mix, oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside (if you have time, you can leave the chicken to marinate for a few hours or overnight in the fridge).
- Prepare the vegetables: dice the onion, cut the garlic into thin slices, carrot into thin, about 1/16-inch (1-2 mm) slices, bell peppers into 1/4-inch (0.5 cm) stripes, zucchini into 1/4-inch (0.5 cm) half-slices, apricots into small pieces (approx. ½-¼-inch / 0.5-1 cm pieces).
- Cook the onions and garlic: heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a big frying pan. Add the onions and a small pinch od salt. Cook the onions over medium-low heat until soft, stirring from time to time. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Transfer the onions and garlic to a plate.
- Cook the chicken: Set the heat to the highest setting. Add another tablespoon of oil. Add the chicken pieces, cook on one side until browned, then turn over and cook until almost cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and transfer to a plate (don't mix the chicken with onions though), it doesn‘t have to be cook through completely, it will be later briefly stewed with the vegetables.
- Cook the vegetables: add all the chopped vegetables in an even layer to the pan, sprinkle with the remaining spice mix. Don‘t stir for the first few minutes!! Wait until the vegetables at the bottom are nicely browned, then stir everything thoroughly.
- Add the onions with garlic back to the pan, add the chopped apricots and broth.
- Bring to a boil, cover with a lid and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring from time to time. Vegetables should be tender but still have a bite to it.
- Add the chicken back to the pan and simmer for 1-2 more minutes (the chicken should be now cooked through). Take the pan off the heat, season to taste with salt and pepper, stir everything together.
- Make the couscous: season a cup of couscous with salt and pepper, pour a cup of boiling water / broth over, stir and leave for 5 minutes. Stir in chopped parsley.
- Serve the chicken with vegetables and couscous.
- Enjoy!
uwagi
- Ingredient substitutions:
- Instead of chicken breast, you can also use chicken thighs. They may need to be cooked just a little longer.
- Instead of broth, you can use water.
- Instead of spices listed in the recipe, you can also use Moroccan spice mix - ras-el-hanout + a little more cinnamon (it really works so well here).
- The apricots can't be omitted! They're so sweet and just make wonders in this recipe.
- You can also use other vegetables you have on hand but I find that the carrots, bell peppers, and zucchini work best with this recipe.
- Calories = 1 serving (1/4 of the recipe). This is only an estimate!
- Storage: This recipe reheats and freezes very well! Keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
Kalorie: 619kcal