Moroccan-Spiced Chicken
When I think of a traditional Moroccan chicken tajine, I think of a stew that is full of warming spices, lemon and sometimes dried fruit, but it can take an afternoon to make, and is a great rainy day or winter project. I wanted to turn those delicious flavors into a quick and easy-to-cook dish with a marinade that blitzes together in a minute and also works on hearty vegetables such as zucchini or carrots. You could serve this with couscous or if you are gluten-free, millet or even parsley-specked cauliflower rice both are great alternatives.
Servings: Four
INGREDIENTS
1 ½ lbs chicken boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cleaned
Salt
Marinade:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
4 cloves garlic
2 Medjool dates, pitted
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
PREPARATION
1 In a small blender, combine olive oil, lemon juice, garlic cloves, dates, paprika, turmeric, coriander, ginger, cinnamon, and black pepper and blend into smooth. (We tried this in a mini chopper and it was chunkier than we wanted.)
2 Place the chicken thighs in a shallow dish, pour the marinade over the chicken and massage. Cover the dish and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, but not longer than two hours.
3 Place a tray about 6 inches from the broiler. Preheat the broiler.
4 Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Removing some of the marinade, place the chicken thighs on the baking sheet and sprinkle generously with salt.
5 Put the baking sheet in the oven and broil for 5-6 minutes. Remove the chicken, flip each piece, season generously with salt, and broil for another 5-6 minutes. (Watch carefully to make sure the chicken is not charring too quickly. If it is, move the baking sheet down a rack.)
NOTES
Reserve some of the marinade for vegetables such as zucchini or carrots. Cut zucchini in ¼ to ½-inch circles and carrots into ½-inch pieces. Broil the zucchini for 3 minutes. Broil the carrots for 5-10 minutes depending on thickness. Run a knife through the carrots to check if done.
You can grill this chicken. It was about 7 and 4 minutes.
Tastes great with a dairy-free, easy yogurt sauce: ½ cup coconut or almond yogurt, ½ lemon squeeze, and ½ teaspoon salt. Stir well.
