Moroccan Chicken With Apricot Couscous And Green Olive Sauce In Flat Bread
Serves: 6
Luisa Champlin
1 January 1970
Based on User reviews:
56
Spice
50
Sweetness
53
Sourness
42
mins
Prep time (avg)
4.7
Difficulty
Ingredients:
1 tsp
Cayenne2 tsps
Cumin Seed1 tsp
Fennel Seed1 tsp
Coriander Seed1 tbsp
Sweet Paprika1 tsp
Brown Sugar1 cup
Couscous11 cups
Water (warm)1 cup
Whole Almonds (toasted)2 tbsps
Sherry VinegarDirections:
1
Watch how to make this recipe
2
To prepare the Moroccan Spice Mix for the Chicken: Combine the cinnamon stick, cloves, cayenne, cumin, fennel, coriander, and paprika in a dry skillet over low heat and toast for just a minute to release the fragrant oils; shake the pan so they don't scorch
3
In a spice mill or clean coffee grinder, grind the toasted spices together, with 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt and the brown sugar
4
(A word of advice: make sure you thoroughly wipe out your coffee grinder before you make coffee again - Moroccan spices taste great on chicken but horrible with coffee
5
) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
6
Rinse the chicken with cool water, inside and out, then pat it dry with paper towels
7
Massage the chicken skin with the spice rub; make sure you don't miss a spot
8
Season the inside of the chicken generously with salt and pepper
9
Stuff the lemons halves, cilantro, and garlic in the cavity and place the chicken in a roasting pan fitted with a rack
10
Fold the wing tips under the bird and tie the legs together with kitchen string
11
Drizzle the oil all over the chicken
12
If you have time, let the chicken marinate for 30 minutes to really get the flavors down deep into the meat
13
Roast the chicken for 1 hour; pop an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh; if it reads 160 degrees F, it's done
14
Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes so the juices can settle back into the meat
15
Remove and discard the skin from the chicken
16
Pull the chicken from the bone and shred the meat, with your fingers or 2 forks
17
Put the shredded chicken in a large bowl and squeeze the lemon halves that have cooked inside the bird over the meat to moisten
18
To prepare the Apricot Couscous: Put the couscous in a medium bowl; pour the water over it, stir with a fork to combine
19
Cover and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes, then uncover and fluff with a fork
20
Put the apricots, almonds, green onions, mint, and cilantro on a cutting board and coarsely chop everything up; add this to the couscous
21
Add lemon juice, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper
22
Toss gently to combine
23
To prepare the Green Olive Sauce: In a small skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil
24
Saute the shallots and chile over low heat for 8 minutes until caramelized, then scrape into a food processor
25
Add the olives, parsley, vinegar, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup of oil; puree a good 3 minutes until totally smooth
26
To put the whole thing together: put the shredded chicken and couscous on the lavosh bread, add a few spoonfuls of the olive sauce, and roll the sandwich up
27
Wrap in foil and take the sandwich to a picnic, if desired