Moroccan Spiced Game Hen Recipes

MOROCCAN-SPICED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 450 degrees F. Toss the green beans and carrots with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon each ras el hanout and salt and a few grinds of pepper on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast on the upper rack until tender and lightly browned, adding the almonds halfway through, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken on both sides with the remaining 1 teaspoon ras el hanout and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add to the skillet; cook until browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to another rimmed baking sheet and roast on the lower oven rack until cooked through, about 10 minutes.
• Return the skillet to medium-high heat and add the shallot. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 1 minute. Stir in the chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits, then add the apricots, olives and harissa. Cook until the apricots soften and the broth is reduced by two-thirds, about 5 minutes; season with salt. Pour any accumulated juices from the chicken into the sauce.
• Slice the chicken and serve with the roasted vegetables. Spoon the sauce over the chicken.

MOROCCAN-SPICED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place a rimmed baking sheet on the center rack of oven and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix spices, 2 teaspoons salt, 3/4 teaspoon pepper, and the oil in a small bowl. Rub spice paste all over chicken.
• Carefully arrange chicken in a single layer on hot sheet, and arrange lemon wedges around chicken. Bake until chicken registers 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer and juices run clear, 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and serve with pan juices and roasted lemon wedges on the side.

MOROCCAN-STYLE CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Finely grind first 7 ingredients in spice grinder or coffee grinder. Transfer to small bowl. Whisk in orange juice, oil and garlic. (Spice mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
• Rub spice mixture all over hens; place hens in large roasting pan. Sprinkle hens inside and out with salt and pepper. Tie legs together to hold shape. Arrange carrots in pan around hens. Sprinkle carrots with salt and pepper. Roast 30 minutes. Add stock to roasting pan. Roast hens until juices run clear when thickest part of thigh is pierced and carrots are tender, basting hens occasionally with pan juices, about 35 minutes longer. Place 1 hen on each of 4 plates. Arrange carrots alongside. Spoon warm Orange-Honey Sauce over and serve.

MOROCCAN-SPICED GAME HEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Combine garlic and salt in small bowl. Using fork, mash into paste. Mix in ginger, cumin, coriander and cayenne. Loosen skin of each game hen quarter, creating pocket but leaving skin attached. Rub seasoning mixture onto meat under loosened skin, dividing equally. Arrange quarters in shallow roasting pan. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
• Bake until cooked through and juices run clear when thigh meat is pierced, about 25 minutes. Transfer hen quarters to platter and serve.

ROASTED MOROCCAN SPICED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F
• Pat chicken dry and rub with flattened garlic cloves; place garlic in cavity. Squeeze lemon into small bowl; place lemon in cavity.
• Brush chicken with half of juice.
• Mix spices and salt and rub over and inside chicken.
• Tie legs together. Heat oil in large ovenproof skillet.
• Add chicken, breast side up. Add remaining lemon juice to skillet. Baste
• chicken withpan juices. Transfer to oven, and bake until juices run clear.
• Baste occasionally. Roast about 1 hour -- .

GRILLED GAME HENS WITH MOROCCAN SPICES

Steps:

• Remove and dicard the fat just inside the body cavities of the game hens. Remove any packages of giblets. Rinse the hens, inside and out, under cold running water, then drain and blot dry, inside and out, with paper towels. Cut each game hen lenghtwise in half with poultry shears. Place birds in a large, deep nonreactive bowl or baking dish and set aside while you make the marinade.
• Combine the onion, parsley, cilantro, lemon juice, oil, salt, cumin, paprika, ginger and pepper in a small bowl and whisk to mix. Pour the mixture over the game hens, turning them to thoroughly coat. Cover and let marinade in the refrigerate for 1 to 8 hours, (the longer the better) turning the birds occasionally.
• Preheat the grill, one area for high heat and another area for medium heat.
• When ready to cook, oil the grill grate. Remove the game hens from the marinade and arrange, skin side down, on the grate over the hotter section of the grill 3-5 minutes and then move to medium heat for another 5-7 minutes Using tongs turn the hens over (skin side up) and onto the high heat area and cook 3-5 minutes and then move over to the medium heat and continue cooking for 5-7 minutes or until juices run clear.
• Transfer the hens to serving plates and serve immediately, garnished with lemon wedges.

MOROCCAN-STYLE CORNISH HENS WITH COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Mix 3 tablespoons of the oil with the paprika, 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Rub inside surfaces of hens with 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, then smear them, inside and out, with the spice paste. Set aside 1 hour.
• Sauté onions in remaining oil in a skillet over medium heat until golden. Stir in raisins and remaining cumin and cook until onions are lightly browned. Fold in cooked couscous and season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat grill or heat oven to 375 degrees. If grilling, sear hens on the skin side over medium heat, then turn them over, basting a couple of times with remaining lemon juice, until cooked through, about 35 minutes. If using oven, roast hen halves skin side up in a roasting pan until cooked through, 35 to 40 minutes, basting a couple of times with remaining lemon juice.
• Reheat couscous, fold in cilantro, and mound on a platter. Arrange hen halves around couscous and serve hot or warm.

SPICY MOROCCAN CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a shallow bowl, combine 2 tsp cinnamon, cumin and coriander, plus cayenne pepper and salt. Dredge chicken in spices.
• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken; sauté until browned, turning once. Remove chicken.
• Add onion to skillet, sauté 3 minutes. Add garlic, ginger and broth; sauté 5 minutes.
• Add all remaining ingredients and the chicken. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Serve in bowls with whole-wheat pitas.

GRILLED GAME HEN WITH MOROCCAN SPICES

Steps:

• Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Stir curry powder, coriander, cumin and cayenne in heavy small skillet over medium-low heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add garlic to skillet; mix into spices.
• Using fingertips, loosen skin of game hen pieces. Rub spice paste onto meat under skin. Sprinkle outside of pieces with salt and pepper.
• Place hen pieces on grill. Cover with foil and grill 10 minutes. Uncover; turn pieces over. Cover and continue to grill until golden brown, cooked through and juices run clear when hen is pierced with small knife, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes for breast pieces and 15 minutes for leg-thigh pieces. Serve hot or at room temperature.

MOROCCAN GAME HENS & VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk honey, lemon juice, paprika, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and cayenne. In a large bowl, combine zucchini, turnips, squash, onion and garlic. Toss with 3 tablespoons spice mixture.
• With a heavy chef's knife or poultry shears, cut hens in half lengthwise, from breast through backbone. Cut off wing tips and first joint. With a paper towel, pull skin off breast, wing, thigh and leg bones; discard skin. Rub hens with remaining spice mixture.
• Lightly oil a 10 x 14 inch roasting pan or coat it with nonstick spray. Spread vegetables in pan; toss with tomatoes and their juices. Nestle hens, bone-side down, into vegetables. Add chicken broth to pan. Cover tightly with foil.
• Bake hens and vegetables for 45 minutes. Uncover and roast, basting occasionally with pan juices, until hens are no longer pink inside and vegetables are tender, 15 - 20 minutes more. Garnish with parsley and cilantro and serve.