Moroccan Chicken and Couscous with Currants

I love olives, spices and lemons. That combination makes for an amazing chicken recipe. I actually looked for various Moroccan chicken recipes and was inspired by Emeril Lagasse's recipe

I made it back in San Francisco for my friends Theresa & Claudia (yay!) They loved it too.

Oscar with dinner in SF

I mentioned previously that I've been cooking a lot of vegetarian recipes lately and clearly this is not vegetarian but I did use the best possible chicken I could find in Whole Foods. I care about the ingredients a lot and cook with the best (you get more flavor out of them).

I used a Le Creuset Braiser for the recipe. Its amazing! It distributes heat very well and keeps the dish warm for a while. You could probably use a big pot or pan for this but it's sort of slowly cooked and braisers are amazing for that. 



You'll need:

for the chicken:

• 5-6 chicken thighs (or leg & thighs work too)
• 1 clove minced garlic (or garlic powder)
• 1 chopped onion or 3 shallots
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp coriander
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp ground ginger or minced fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 2 small preserved lemons  (which I made myself or you can buy from the grocery store) Sliced
• 1/2 cup of green olives (sliced)
• chopped parsley (2 tsp)

for the couscous:

• 1 box of israeli couscous or 2 cups of regular couscous
• 1/2 cup of currants (or probably chopped raisins or dates could do the trick here)
• slivered almonds
• olive oil

How to make the chicken:

1. Heat braiser or big skillet and coat with olive oil.
2. Salt & pepper the chicken thighs and brown them in the brasier about 4 mins on each side.
3. Remove chicken thighs and put in a separate plate. In the same oil sauté the onion and garlic. Add fresh ginger if using.
3. Add the spices: cinnamon, coriander, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cayenne pepper. 
4. Add the chicken and stock. Let it simmer on low heat for 30-35 mins.
5. Add the olives and preserved lemons (sliced) and simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes. 
6. When ready to serve, sprinkle some chopped parsley on top.

How to make couscous:

1. Toast the slivered almonds in a pan and set aside.

2. Make the couscous according to package directions (add olive oil and salt). It's better to make the couscous with stock instead of water to add more flavor.

3. When the couscous is ready, add the currants and slivered almonds.

4. Serve with parsley or cilantro on top.

The end product