Are your spices a model of management or a muddle of a mess?
My personal spice system (is orderly confusion a system?) dates back to my first apartment with its supermarket skillets and single cupboard.
And it’s worked great until recently. But those neat little Tone’s red and green containers simply aren’t big enough any more.
Spices give your taste buds a vigorous workout. Doubling, even tripling, the spices make a food taste, well, bigger – and importantly, bigger but not fatter.
MOROCCAN CHICKEN is redolent with the depth of paprika and the bite of ginger, the musk of fennel and the heft of cumin, all lifted up by the bright contrast of lemon. It’s simply pungent with flavor.
Try increasing the spices – and dropping the fat – with favorite recipes. They may surprise you!
As written, Moroccan Chicken reheats and freezes beautifully. But you might also cook ahead and freeze just the sauce, adding the meat and eggplant for a fast supper another night. Substitute chicken breasts if that’s what’s on hand. But do look for skinless, boneless chicken thighs. The meat is often less expensive and always more flavorful. Common wisdom coaches us to avoid dark meat but in Weight Watchers terms, four ounces of breast and thigh both tally in at three points. Try a thigh!
MOROCCAN CHICKEN
Time to table: 60 minutes
Serves 4
- 1 pound fresh eggplant, cubed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 onions, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 2 teaspoons whole fennel seed
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes
- 1 cup fat-free chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (1 pound), fat trimmed
- Chopped cilantro
Set oven at 400F. Toss eggplant in 1 tablespoon olive oil until evenly coated. Arrange in single layer on baking sheet and bake 25-30 minutes (no need to wait for oven to fully heat) or until light brown.
Heat a Dutch oven over medium high. Add second tablespoon olive oil. Add onion and garlic; sauté until golden. Add spices, stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, broth and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add chicken thighs, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Turn thighs over, cover, simmer another 10 minutes. Add eggplant, simmer 10 minutes uncovered. To serve, top with cilantro.
LATER NOTES
There's plenty of liquid and vegetables for two pounds of chicken. Like many stews, this is very good when eaten straight off the stove but a day of refrigeration helps meld the flavors. I haven't yet but intend to make this some time soon with pimentón, the smoky Spanish paprika.
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Your Comments:
Your spice photo looks so pretty. You are reminding me that I have to get to my spice shelves and reorganize. I just never have enough room for all of it, no matter what I do! :)
I would love a bowl of this chicken dish...just add a little extra jasmine rice on mine, please!