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Ras El Hanout Moroccan Spiced Chicken

this recipe appeared in a local food magazine called mix. it was simple to prepare, but wonderfully different. the spices blend together during cooking to make a wonderfully rich and deep flavor. the dutch oven cooking produces a tender, falling-off-the-bone chicken. this recipe would originally be prepared in an earthenware cooking vessel, called a tagine, which has a conical lid. i'm sure most of us don't have one lurking in our cupboards, but the results from a dutch oven are wonderful. served with some steamed rice, the little ones were asking for seconds and the adults were asking for thirds.

complex15 ingredients17 preparation steps
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Ingredients

  • ground cinnamon
  • turmeric
  • fresh ground black pepper
  • nutmeg
  • ground cardamom
  • ground cloves
  • chicken drumsticks
  • chicken thighs
  • fresh thyme
  • garlic cloves
  • olive oil
  • onion
  • lemon
  • chicken broth
  • salt

Preparation

  1. 1to make the ras al-hanout spice mixture: combine the cinnamon , turmeric , black pepper , nutmeg , cardamom and cloves in a small bowl
  2. 2thoroughly pat the chicken dry and dredge in the ras al-hanout spices until pieces are nicely covered but not over-loaded
  3. 3place in a bowl or large dish and scatter thyme and garlic over the chicken
  4. 4pour 1 / 2 c olive oil over and toss to coat thoroughly
  5. 5cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight if possible , or several hours
  6. 6remove marinated chicken and place on counter for 30 minutes
  7. 7heat 1 t
  8. 8olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat
  9. 9remove chicken from the dish , keeping the marinade , and brown chicken on all sides in the hot oil
  10. 10set the chicken aside and add the onion to the dutch oven , cook until translucent
  11. 11return the chicken to the dutch oven , adding the lemon and the reserved marinade
  12. 12sprinkle generously with salt
  13. 13add enough broth to almost cover the chicken , bring to a simmer , cover and cook until the chicken has begun to pull away from the bones and is quite tender , about 1 hour and 15 minutes
  14. 14remove the lid the last 15 minutes of cooking time to reduce the broth
  15. 15if it needs to reduce further , remove the chicken and boil the broth until nicely reduced to approximately 2 cups , but you can reduce it less if you want more sauce
  16. 16you can thicken the sauce with cornstarch mixed with water
  17. 17serve with white rice or other grain of choice