Moroccan Honey Chicken Recipes

MOROCCAN CHICKEN TAGINE

Steps:

• Combine the spices in a small bowl and set aside. Zest the lemon. Combine 1 teaspoon of the lemon zest with 1 minced garlic clove; set aside.
• Season both sides of chicken pieces with 2 teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or pan over medium-high heat until beginning to smoke. Brown the chicken pieces skin side down in single layer until deep golden, about 5 minutes; using tongs, flip the chicken pieces over and brown the other side, about 4 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a large plate; when cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and discard. Pour off and discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan.
• Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until they have browned at the edges but still retain their shape, 5 to 7 minutes (add a few tablespoons of water now and then if the pan gets too dark). Add the remaining minced garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the spices and flour and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the broth, honey, remaining lemon zest, and ¼ teaspoon salt, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Add the chicken (with any accumulated juices) back in, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add the carrots, cover, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the carrots are tender-crisp, about 10 minutes more.
• Stir in the olives, reserved lemon zest-garlic mixture, cilantro, and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice; taste the sauce and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice, if desired. Serve with couscous.
• Note: Don't fret too much over trimming the chicken thighs. The skin gets removed midway through the cooking process and most of the fat will cook off and get drained. I usually just take kitchen shears and quickly snip off any excess skin or fat. Cracked green olives are olives that have been 'cracked' or split open before curing, allowing the brine or marinade to penetrate. You can find them in your supermarket's olive bar, or substitute any green olive that you like.
• Make-Ahead: After you have completed the step of cooking the carrots, the dish can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. To serve, gently warm on the stove until the chicken is heated through, then proceed to the step where the olives and remaining ingredients are added.

MOROCCAN HONEY CHICKEN

Steps:

• 1. Pat chicken dry, then season chicken with salt and pepper.
• 2. In a heavy-duty 3-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add chicken and cook about 15 minutes or until chicken is deep golden brown. Transfer chicken to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
• 3. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion to pan and cook about 4 minutes or until softened, stirring frequently. Add cumin, paprika, cinnamon, and flour, and cook about 1 minute longer, stirring constantly. Stir in broth and honey.
• 4. Return chicken to pan and simmer, uncovered, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer chicken to 4 individual serving plates.
• 5. Simmer sauce in pan for 3 minutes. Add the capers and lemon zest to the pan. Taste and add more salt and pepper (or other seasonings), if needed. Spoon sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with cilantro on top, and serve immediately.

ONE-POT MOROCCAN CHICKEN TAGINE

Steps:

• Mix the spices together in a small bowl. Set aside for later.
• Heat olive oil in a very large skillet (ideally one with a heavy bottom, and for which you have a lid) and swirl to coat. Brown chicken on each side until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Season with some salt and remove from the skillet onto a plate.
• In the same skillet, cook the onions until softened, about 2-3 minutes. Add garlic, cook for 30 seconds. Stir in spices and cook for another 30 seconds, stirring.
• Reduce heat to low. Stir in crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, honey, chicken peas, lemon, raisins, and olives.
• Nest chicken into the sauce, cover with the lid and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, flipping the chicken from time to time so all sides soak up the sauce. Once the chicken is cooked through, turn off the heat and serve with couscous and lots of cilantro.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN TAGINE WITH HONEY AND APRICOTS

Steps:

• In a large pot, melt the margarine.
• Fry the chopped onions until soft, then add the chicken, salt, pepper, turmeric and cinnamon sticks.
• Don't worry, no one will make you eat a cinnamon stick unless you really want to.
• Add enough water to cover the chicken, about two cups.
• Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the chicken is done, adding water if necessary.
• Remove the chicken pieces.
• Add the apricots and simmer for about fifteen minutes.
• Add the ground cinnamon and the honey, stir and cook until the sauce has a honey-like consistency.
• Add more honey if necessary.
• When the sauce is almost ready, saute the almonds in oil.
• Drain most of the oil from the pan, and toast the sesame seeds.
• Return the chicken to the pot and reheat.
• Place the chicken on a serving tray, pour the sauce on top of it and top with the almonds and the sesame seeds.
• Serve with couscous (except on Passover).

MOROCCAN CHICKEN WITH TOMATOES AND HONEY

Steps:

• Heat 2 T oil in a large pan or pot. Add the chicken, tomatoes, ginger, cinnamon and saffron or turmeric.
• Cover, and cook over low heat, stirring from time to time, for 1 hour.
• Set oven at 400 deg F/200 deg Celsius.
• Remove chicken from pot, and roast in oven to brown slightly.
• Meanwhile, cook the sauce in the pot, uncovered, to thicken slightly. It should be like a sizzling cream. Stir all the time.
• Then add the honey and stir in well.
• Remove chicken from the oven, and return chicken to the pot. If the sauce is a nice consistency, turn heat very low so it does not reduce further.
• Heat the leftover 1 T oil in a separate pan and add the almonds. Cook for a few moments only (it burns easily, so stir it) Then add the sesame seeds, and cook briefly as well, until lightly toasted.
• Serve the chicken hot, covered with the sauce and sprinkled with the toasted nuts.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN WITH TOMATOES AND HONEY

Steps:

• Heat the oil and butter in a large casserole. Add the chicken pieces and cook over a medium heat for about 3 minutes until the chicken is lightly browned. Add the onion, garlic, cinnamon, ginger, tomatoes and seasoning, and heat gently until the tomatoes begin to bubble. Lower the heat, cover and simmer very gently for 1 hour, stirring and turning the chicken occasionally, until it is completely cooked through. Transfer the chicken pieces to a plate and then increase the heat and cook the tomatoes until the sauce is reduced to a thick purée, stirring frequently. Stir in the honey, cook for a minute and then return the chicken to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes to heat through. Dry fry the almonds and sesame seeds or toast under the grill until golden. Transfer the chicken and sauce to a warmed serving dish and sprinkle with the almonds and sesame seeds. Serve with Moroccan corn bread.