Recommended Recipes: Moroccan Stew

I tried a great new recipe this weekend. It was a Moroccan chicken stew with tomatoes and eggplant. With autumn weather coming on, it's the season for stews, and this is a great one to try. I made a few alterations in the recipe. I didn't have fennel seeds or slivered almonds, so I didn't worry about those. The most notable difference was that I used white meat instead of dark and I used a crock pot. The recipe took pains to point out that dark meat is traditionally used because it is more moist. I chose to use white meat instead and figured that the crock pot would be a good way to ensure that the meat was moist. I found thin sliced chicken breast fillets on sale, and they worked out just right! The sauce was prepared on the stove top as directed by the recipe, then the chicken along with the sauce was placed in the crock pot and cooked on "high" for three and a half hours. The eggplant was also prepared according to the recipe and added to the crock pot during the last 30 minutes, turning the temperature setting down to "low" for that last bit of cooking (total crock pot time: 4 hours). When it was ready to serve, I stirred it with a large spoon and the tender chicken fillets broke up into beautiful pieces for a lovely presentation. It was served over white basmati rice and the meal was absolutely primo! The recipe comes from  Bon Appétit magazine and was found at epicurious.com. 

Moroccan Chicken with Eggplant, Tomatoes, and Almonds

From Bon Appétit, February 2004

Yield: makes 8 servings

This version of a tagine, the classic Moroccan stew, calls for dark meat because it stays moist when braised. If you prefer white meat, reduce the cooking time by 15 minutes.

Ingredients

Bon Appetit photo by Noel Barnhurst

6 tablespoons olive oil, divided

3 cups sliced onions

6 large garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon Hungarian sweet paprika

1 ½ teaspoons coarse kosher salt

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon fennel seeds, ground

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground ginger

2 cups drained canned diced tomatoes (from 28-ounce can)

1 cup water

3 tablespoons (or more) fresh lemon juice

8 chicken thighs with bones, skinned

8 chicken drumsticks, skinned

1 large eggplant, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram

½ cup whole blanched almonds or slivered almonds, toasted

Chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large wide pot over medium heat.

Add onions and garlic. Cover and cook until onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Add paprika, salt, turmeric, coriander, fennel, pepper, cumin, and ginger; stir 1 minute. Add tomatoes, 1 cup water, and 3 tablespoons lemon juice; bring to boil. Arrange all chicken in single layer in pot; spoon some sauce over. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes. Turn chicken over, cover, and simmer until chicken is tender, about 20 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F. Brush large rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. Place eggplant and remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil in large bowl; toss to coat. Spread eggplant out on prepared baking sheet and bake until soft and brown, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes. (Chicken and eggplant can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Refrigerate separately until cold, then cover and keep refrigerated.)

Stir eggplant and marjoram into chicken. Simmer uncovered 10 minutes to heat through and blend flavors. Season stew to taste with more lemon juice, if desired, and salt and pepper. Transfer chicken to large shallow bowl. Sprinkle with almonds and cilantro.

This is how mine turned out