Chicken Charmoula Recipes

Steps:

• Place a large frying pan over medium heat with 1 tbsp of oil. Lightly season the chicken and cook, skin side down, for about 5 mins on one side, until golden. Turn over, then tip the onion into the pan. Cook for another 5 mins until the onion is soft and chicken golden all over.
• Meanwhile, halve the lemon, then cut 1 half into quarters. Finely chop 1 quarter (leaving the skin on) and tip into a pestle and mortar or small blender. Pound together with remaining oil, garlic, ginger and chermoula to make a paste. Dollop into the frying pan and cook 1 min more until you can smell the spices. Pour over the chicken or vegetable stock and honey, then bring to the boil.
• Turn down the heat, cover and leave to cook 20-30 mins until chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened and become glossy (you may need to uncover the pan for the fi nal 5 mins of cooking). Stir through the olives and squeeze over the juice of half the lemon. Sprinkle with coriander and serve with couscous or bread.

Steps:

• In a small, dry skillet, toast cumin and coriander seeds over medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until seeds are slightly toasted and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Immediately pour spices onto a cutting board or mortar to stop the cooking. Once cool, crack spices with the flat side of a knife or with a pestle.
• Place cumin seeds, coriander seeds, garlic and lemon juice in a food processor or blender, and pulse to combine. Add herbs and sweet paprika, and purée until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the container when necessary. Add chile and, with the motor running, gradually drizzle in the olive oil. Stir in salt and preserved lemon, if using. Taste, and add more salt and lemon juice if needed.
• Use immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Use as a marinade or sauce for fish, chicken, vegetables or meat, or as a dressing for roasted peppers and eggplant salads. Mix into yogurt as a dip for vegetables and meatballs, or spoon over hard-cooked eggs.

Steps:

• In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; brown chicken all over. Transfer to plate.
• Drain fat from pan; fry onion, garlic, paprika, cumin, salt, pepper and cinnamon over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.
• Sprinkle flour over onion mixture; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Pour in stock and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits.
• Return chicken and any juices to skillet; reduce heat, cover and simmer, turning chicken once, until juices run clear when chicken is pierced, about 20 minutes.
• Add coriander, parsley and lemon juice.
• Make-ahead Option : Before adding the coriander, parsley, and lemon, let cool for 30 minutes; refrigerate until cold. Refrigerate in airtight container for up to 24 hours or freeze for up to 1 month.
• Slow Cooker Charmoula Chicken: Do not remove skin. After browning chicken, transfer to slow cooker. Continue with recipe, omitting flour and scraping stock mixture into slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.
• Skim off any fat. Whisk 1/3 cup (75 mL) water with 1/4 cup (50 mL) all-purpose flour and whisk into slow cooker; cover and cook on high for about 15 minutes or until thickened. Remove skin if desired. Stir in coriander, parsley and lemon.

Steps:

• Salsa:.
• Mix all ingredients in a bowl, seasoning to taste: chill.
• Chicken:.
• In a frying pan, gently fry onion and garlic in a little of the oil for 4 to 5 minutes. Do not allow the garlic to burn.
• When the onion is translucent, add all the spices and cook for 3 to 4 minutes over a medium heat. Stir constantly. Remove from the heat.
• Stir in the lemon rind and fresh herbs and allow to cool.
• Stir in the chicken pieces and marinate for at least 3 hours (over night if possible).
• Cook chicken in a non stick frying pan or on the BBQ (grill).

Steps:

• To prepare vinaigrette: Combine the cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic and a little of the lemon juice in a medium bowl. With a whisk, blend in the remaining lemon juice, parsley, cilantro and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and more lemon juice, if desired.
• To prepare chicken: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together the parsley, cilantro and lemon zest with enough oil to make a mash.
• Using your fingers, gently separate the skin from the flesh of the chicken thighs and work some of the herb mixture under, smoothing it down. Place the chicken skin side up on roasting pan and cook until the juices run clear when pricked with a sharp knife, about 25 to 30 minutes, basting frequently with the charmoula vinaigrette.
• Serve the chicken over rice and drizzle with more of the chermoula, then pass the rest on the side.

Steps:

• Stir cumin in small skillet over medium heat until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Transfer to mortar. Add garlic; pound with pestle until paste forms. Transfer to bowl. Mix in cilantro and next 4 ingredients. Stir in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Do ahead Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; chill. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.

Steps:

• Dry-fry (temper) the cumin and coriander seeds for 30-60 seconds in a small frying pan over medium heat.
• Once the seeds smell toasty and begin to brown, immediately remove from the heat. Then pound them together using a pestle and mortar.
• Put the onion, garlic and chopped herbs in a food processor along with the toasted spices, ginger and paprika. Blitz until the mixture looks reasonably smooth.
• Scrape the mixture into a bowl and add the chopped olives and preserved lemon.
• Stir in a bit of olive oil to slacken the mixture further to a paste. Season to taste with cayenne, salt and pepper.
• Slash the chicken in several places to allow the flavours to penetrate.
• Slap the paste all over the chicken, pressing it into the slashes. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in the fridge for at least 2 hours, but overnight if you can.
• Remove the chicken from the fridge and leave to stand for about 30 minutes to allow it to come back to room temperature before cooking.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F
• Place the chicken in a roasting pan and roast for 30-35 minutes, or until the juices run clear when the meat is pierced to the centre with a fork.
• To make the yoghurt sauce, slacken the yoghurt with the milk, then stir in the remaining ingredients.

Steps:

• In a high-sided frying pan or braiser, combine the wine, cilantro, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer. Add the chicken and poach, turning once, about 12 to 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove to a cutting board to rest.
• Meanwhile, bring the stock to a boil. Add the couscous, stir, and bring to a second boil. Remove from the heat, cover, and let stand 5 minutes. Stir in the turmeric.
• Combine the charmoula ingredients in a small bowl. Cut the chicken breasts in half. Divide the couscous among 4 dinner plates and arrange chicken breasts on top. Serve each with 1/4 cup of the charmoula.

Steps:

• Whisk ingredients together and marinate white fish fillets (orange roughy works well) for 30 minutes to an hour.
• Bake or grill fish; more sauce can be served with the fish (don't use sauce previously used to marinate raw fish; set some aside in advance).
• Charmoula can also be used to marinate chicken with good results!