Moroccan Chicken Over Couscous Recipe with Kefta Briouats

Moroccan Recipe with Latino Flair

I love Moroccan food. The spices have an incredible depth, there are plenty of wonderful grains to use and sweets to indulge in. There is enough adventure to satisfy my curiosity and desire to try something new, but isn’t so far from my palate that I am uncomfortable. This Moroccan recipe is infused with a Latino flair, after all!

This recipe is a mix between traditional Moroccan flavors and spices, amped up with those of my Cuban food culture, mixed with a bit of my gut reaction and what I had in my fridge. The hubby said this chicken dish was one of his favorites. Awesome!

This was a more intensive recipe than my usual dinners. The cooking technique is very similar to a Cuban Arroz Con Pollo. As always, I rarely suggest a quantity of each ingredient. I believe you go with your palate, and those of your family members, not mine. I have never cooked with turmeric before, so I depended on my nose and a quick taste test to determine how much I would use. I love big bodied, deep flavors, so I wasn’t afraid to pour it on. I now am officially in LOVE with turmeric. That is one amazing spice! Challenge yourself to try a new spice, but limit the quantity it to what your family will appreciate.

Moroccan Chicken Over Couscous: What You’ll Need

Ingredients:
~ Chicken thighs {skin left on}
~ Chicken broth
~ Garbanzo beans {drained and rinsed}
~ Small can of tomato sauce
~ Flat leaf parsley
~ Couscous*
~ Lemon juice
~ Veggies: Traditional Moroccan recipes vary from zucchini, carrots and onion to none at all. I love garlic, and had a squash that needed to be used, but use whatever you’d like. This is a complete list of the veggies that I used for this particular meal:
~zucchini
~onion
~garlic
~carrots
~red bell pepper
~tomato
~yellow summer/crocked neck squash
~Spices: the heart of this dish
~salt/pepper
~cumin
~turmeric
~ginger {fresh or ground}
~cayenne pepper
~paprika
~oregano

Recipe Directions:
~ Season chicken thighs with tumeric, cumin, salt and pepper
~ Put in pan skin side down and brown, remove and set aside
~Saute onions, carrots and garlic in the same pan for a few minutes
~Season well with ginger, paprika, a bit of cayenne {for me, a bit means a bit. Add more if you’d like.}
~ Throw in the rest of the veggies, stir to combine all the flavors
~ Return chicken to the pan and add can of tomato sauce, adding extra spices as you smell necessary {this is where my heavy hand comes into play}
~ Add can of drained/rinsed garbanzo beans
~ Add enough chicken stock to cover the chicken and veggies,
~ Simmer on medium low until chicken is done and tender
~ Towards the end of your cooking time, stir in lemon juice and flat leaf parsely
~ Cook your couscous according to instructions

Serve this yumminess on top of couscous, making sure to get enough sauce!
* I love traditional couscous, but the hubby is not super crazy about the texture. Recently I purchased Israeli couscous, which is what I used here. Moroccan chicken with Israeli couscous. We’re a one love kinda household 😉

The meat filled pastry you see pictured is called Kefta Briouats. To make this traditional Moroccan side, I followed Maroc Mama’s E-cookbook recipe exactly. They were delicious last night with our meal, and {since I may have had one…or two… for breakfast this morning} are even better the next day. The spices seem to have really incorporated, blending together with the meat and wrapper to make for a yummy hand-held goodness. Okay, maybe it was three.

Moroccan Recipe with Latino Flair

I love Moroccan food! Here is my favorite summer recipe of 2013, a Grilled Moroccan Chicken. And to season those beautiful chicken thighs, I used this homemade Moroccan seasoning blend.

Enjoy!