Sunday, November 14, 2010

Moroccan Chicken

Bobby Flay's Chicken & Chickpea Tagine with Apricots and Harissa Sauce.

I basically follow the recipe but with a few tweaks.

I use bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts.  Sear in the hot pan and follow the directions.
Don't drain the tomatoes -- you need the moisture.
I skip the parsley and just use cilantro.
You can't find creme fraiche at my grocery store so I use sour cream and Harissa from Williams-Sonoma and it's great.

When you pull it out of the oven (your house will smell fantastic!) - I pull out the chicken and get rid of the bones/skin and chop it into bite sized pieces and mix back into the sauce.  Serve over rice or cous cous.

I looked around online and found the ingredients for Ras Al Hanut - it makes a TON.  The first time I did it I reduced everything down to a small amount.  Now I do the whole thing and store it in an old spice jar.  Saves a ton of time if this meal becomes a staple at your house.  If you don't have the more esoteric ingredients (mace, cardamom) - I think that's fine.  It may not hurt to pick up a few but I think it can be SUPER expensive to build up your spice cabinet with things you won't use again.  If you live nearby, just call me - I have them all and could just give you some.  :)

ras al hanut
1 TB allspice
2 TB cumin
3 TB ground black pepper
2 TB ground cardamom
1 TB cayenne pepper
2 TB Cinnamon
1 TB ground cloves
3 TB ground coriander
1/2 TB ground ginger
1/2 TB ground mace
1/2 TB ground nutmeg
3 TB turmeric
1 TB thyme
2 bay leaves
It makes a lot and this is reduced from the recipe I found that called for 4 TB of things and you had to toast/grind it yourself.  You can find this online or in spice markets (if you live somewhere that they have that sort of thing.  Flower Mound, TX most definitely does not have a spice market.)




Here's Bobby's recipe. 
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/chicken-and-chickpea-tagine-with-apricots-and-harissa-sauce-recipe/index.html

I actually met Bobby when I was on vacation in the Bahamas a few years ago and I told him how much I loved this recipe.  Then I hugged him and insisted on a photo... Not sure he's MY biggest fan but I sure did enjoy meeting him!

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