‘We all love this dish and it smells
wonderful when it’s cooking,’ says Sonya. ‘It’s simple to make and very tasty
as well as being nutritious.’
Moroccan
chicken
Serves 4
Preparation 30 min (plus marinating)
Cooking 1hr 20 min
·
1 lemon
·
2cm piece fresh root ginger, grated
·
1 tsp ground cinnamon
·
1 tsp ground cumin
·
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
·
6 chicken thighs (with bones and skin), trimmed
of fat
·
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cubed
·
2 tbsp olive oil
·
1 onion, chopped
·
2 garlic cloves, chopped
·
1 red pepper, sliced
·
4 cherry tomatoes
·
300 ml (10fl oz) chicken stock
·
10 soft dried prunes (the no-need-to-soak kind)
·
1 – 2 tsp clear honey
1. Grate the zest of half the lemon into a large shallow dish. Cut the
lemon in half and squeeze the juice from the zested half into the dish. Add the
ginger and spices; mix. Put the chicken into the spice mix and turn until
evenly coated. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 1hr or
overnight, if possible.
2. Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a frying pan until hot and fry the
chicken pieces over a medium-high heat until they’re browned on all sides. Do
this in batches, removing each batch from the pan with a slotted spoon and
setting the pieces aside to drain on kitchen paper
Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a frying pan until hot and fry the
chicken pieces over a medium-high heat until they’re browned on all sides.
3. Heat the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in a large flameproof casserole
until hot. Add the onion; fry over a low heat for about 5 min until soft, then
add the garlic and pepper, and fry for a further few minutes. Increase the heat
to medium, add the tomatoes and toss with the pepper; mix for a minute or two.
4. Pour the chicken stock into the pan, stir and bring to the boil.
Reduce the heat; add all the chicken. Cover and simmer for 20 min, then turn
the chicken over and add the prunes. Cover and simmer again for 20 min.
5. Slice the remaining lemon and add to the pan, pushing under the
liquid. Stir in 1 tsp honey, cover and simmer for 20 min. Taste for seasoning;
add more honey if you like. Serve with couscous or wholemeal pitta bread.
Serve
with couscous or wholemeal pitta bread.
Cookery expert Jeni Wright says: ‘You may
think there’s a lot going on in this recipe, with all the ingredients jostling
to take centre stage. In fact, they work wonderfully well together, making a
colourful dish with different textures and complex flavours. I loved it on the
day I made it, then kept the leftovers in the fridge. The next day I gently
reheated it – the flavours had deepened and it tasted even better! Sonya makes
this for special occasions and I can honestly say I shall be doing the same.’
