Wise Food Alert!

Moroccan Chicken to die for!

I tried my hand at this style of chicken dish the other day. Our friend Laurien had given us a lovely little supply of Saffron so we wanted to utilise it to the best of our ability. My handsome Chef did not have a recipe at his fingertips and told me to 'wing it'! So, here is exactly what I did and to my credit (I am sooooo humble) it really was one of my finest creations! He is soooooo proud of me!




A word of caution - when handling raw chicken please please please make sure to wash your hands and work space thoroughly even if you have kids hanging off your apron strings! (had to put that in there to keep the Chef happy!).

Ingredients

1 tsp Paprika, Cumin, Cinnamon, Cayenne, Coriander & Saffron.
2 teaspoons Fresh ginger (grated)
2 tablespoons Honey
Grated zest of one lemon
Juice of one lemon
Olive oil,
Salt & Pepper
Carrots (4 medium)
Onions (2 medium)
Garlic (at least one bulb - yes the whole bulb, not one teeny little clove)

Cilantro (a bunch)

Chicken Stock (2 cups)

Crushed tomatoes (1 can)

Mixed beans (2 cans)

Kalamata Olives (as many as you like - pitted)

Whole Chicken (any size you like) I decided to use my favourite pot/dutch oven because I can prepare everything then just walk away for an hour while it cooks!

Start by preparing all your vegetables (peel onions/garlic,carrots etc.) Rub the chicken down with salt/pepper and throw some of the garlic cloves and lemon zest and freshly grated ginger into the cavity.

Place the raw chicken into the pot and throw in the onions, carrots and garlic. Pour in olive oil and rub into the chicken.

Get all your dried spices and start sprinkling it all over the bird. I mixed all mine into one bowl and sifted it over the bird so it looked a little dusty but well covered.

Put the chicken into a really hot oven for 20 mins. until it has started to turn nice and brown.

Pull it out then pour in the beans, the chicken stock and the can of tomatoes. It is OK if the tomatoes smother the chicken. Place the lid on the pot and put it back in to oven at 180 C for 45 mins (this depends on the size of the chicken).

Go off and have a lovely glass of crisp white wine - our favourite 'house' wine after 15 years is still the Fiano di Avellino. Just unbelievably fantastic, year, after year, after year.

After the time has elapsed and you are half way through the bottle of wine, take the dish out and give it a good mix! Add in the olives, drizzle the honey over the top and a knob of butter would not hurt for finishing touches!

Let it cook a few more minutes (if you think it needs it) and then take it out of the oven and let it rest for ten minutes while you heat a loaf of crusty bread, whip up some salad and oven another bottle of wine!

Seriously, it looks this good, and it tastes way better! The beans give it plenty of 'filling' so you will not be hungry for a week!

Happy dining fellow food lovers,

That is all the WiseWords I have for today!

WiseMóna