Moroccan Spiced Roasted Chicken & Pilaf | Kitchenstagram
Looking for something new and exciting for your Christmas Eve dinner? Try this Moroccan Spiced Roasted Chicken & Pilaf for Dinner! You don’t need to to travel far to experience exotic flavours- just your kitchen. This recipe combines the vibrant essence of Moroccan cuisine with a quick and easy preparation method.
Moroccan food is all about fresh ingredients and aromatics spices and this dish is no exception. What makes this recipe a standout is its simplicity. The chicken is marinated in flavourful Moroccan spice blend, then cooked with the rice, allowing its juices to permeate the grains. Then the chicken is baked until golden. The result? Perfectly browned, crispy-skinned chicken, juicy meat and rice infused with the richness of Moroccan spices. For a complete meal, I like to add potato wedges to the pa, which soak up the spices and juices beautifully.
Serve this sumptuous dish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a sprinkle of coriander for a bright finish. The one-pot wonder is hearty, aromatic, and absolutely irresistible- a perfect centrepiece of your festive table. Give it a try this Christmas Eve and make it a tradition to remember.
Ingredients:
Butcher’s twine or Kitchen twine
1 pc. Potato, cut into thin wedges
1 tsp Ground Blackpepper
1 tbsp Olive oil
2 tbsp Butter
Moroccan Spice Mix:
1 tsp White peppercorn
1 inch Cinnamon, broken
1 inch Dried Galangal
8-10 pcs. Green Cardamom
1 tbsp Cloves
1 tbsp All Spice Berry
2 pcs. Long pepper
1/2 of Whole Nutmeg
2-3 blade of Mace
2 pcs. Star Anise
1 tsp Dried Rose Petals
2 tsp Ginger Powder
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
For cleaning the Chicken :
1 Kg Whole Chicken, with skin
1 no. Lemon
Salt
For Marinating the Chicken:
A pinch of Saffron, soaked in warm water
1 tbsp Garlic, minced
1 tbsp Smoked Paprika powder
2 tbsp Moroccan Spice mix
1 tsp Salt
5-6 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
For Cooking the Chicken & Rice:
500 gm Basmati Rice, washed & soaked
4 tbsp Olive Oil
2 heaped tbsp Butter
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive oil
1 cup Onion, chopped
1 tbsp Garlic, minced
Peel of 1 Lime, finely chopped
1 cup Parsley, chopped
8-10 pcs. Dried Apricot, pitted
1/2 cup Raisins
1/2 cup Dates, Pitted & sliced
1/2 cup Black Olives
Salt to taste
1/2 cup Fresh Coriander, chopped
1000 ml Water
Preparation:
For Cleaning the chicken:
- Step 1: Properly rub the chicken all over with salt, inside and outside, to get rid of any impurities. Now squeeze lemon juice outside and inside of the chicken and place the lemon pieces inside the chicken. Lemon add flavour to the chicken and also eliminate unpleasant odours and after tastes. Now set the chicken aside to rest for 25-30 minutes, so that the salt and lemon penetrate the skin of the chicken.
- Step 2: Then rinse the chicken properly with water to remove the salt and lemon. Place the chicken in a sieve to drain. Set aside.
For Moroccan Spice Mix:
- Step 3: In a heavy-bottom pan add white peppercorn, cinnamon, dried galangal, green cardamom, cloves, all spice berry, long pepper, nutmeg, mace, star anise, dried rose petals and dry roast on low heat, until they are very fragrant. Turn off the heat and allow the spices to cool a bit.
- Step 4: Transfer the toasted spices in a grinder jar, then add dry ginger powder, turmeric powder and grind into a fine powder.
For Marinating the Chicken:
- Step 5: In a large plate add minced garlic, smoked paprika powder, 2 tbsp Moroccan spice mix powder, 1 tsp salt, soaked saffron and olive oil, mix to combine properly.
- Step 6: Coat the chicken with the marinade properly.
- Step 7: Then truss the chicken legs, place the chicken on its back, breast-side up and tuck the wings under the chicken. Take a piece of butcher’s twine and snuggle it underneath the pygostyle, like a sling. pygostyle is the protruding flesh at the posterior end of a chicken. Cross the twine over both leg joints, above the ends of the drumsticks. Slide the twine underneath the legs, creating a wrap. The twine should now form a “figure eight” around the legs and pull the twine tight to bring the legs closer together. Wrap the twine around the legs one or two more times and tie a secure knot to hold the legs in place. This helps the chicken cook evenly during roasting by keeping the legs in place. Then refrigerate the chicken for at least 2 hours or even overnight. Bring the chicken to room temperature before cooking.
For Cooking the Chicken & Rice:
- Step 8: Heat olive oil and butter in a large pot over medium heat.
- Step 9: Then add the chicken to the pot. Fry the chicken on high heat for 5 minutes on each side.
- Step 10: Add the chopped onion to the side of the pot and cook for 5 minutes, while stirring occasionally until the onions soften. Then add minced garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Step 11: Next add the finely chopped lime peel and the remaining chicken marinade and cook for 5-6 more minutes on medium heat.
- Step 12: Then add 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and 1 tbsp butter, stir to combine. Add water to the pot from the edges making sure not to pour it directly on the chicken, then add chopped coriander and stir to combine. Cover the pot and cook for 30 minutes on medium-low heat, making sure to flip it every 15 minutes. Make sure that 1/4 of the chicken is covered in water at all times and add more water if needed.
- Step 13: Check the chicken, it should be cooked and tender. If not, add a bit of water if necessary and continue cooking another 10 minutes or until done. Then uncover the pot and remove the chicken.
- Step 14: In the gravy add dried and pitted apricot, raisins, dates, black olives and salt, stir to combine.
- Step 15:Then add water and washed basmati rice, stir to combine. Cover and cook the rice for 20-25 minutes on low flame or until the rice is cooked completely.
For Roasting the Chicken:
- Step 16: Preheat the oven to 200ºC. In a baking tray add the potato wedges and coat with salt, pepper and olive oil.
- Step 17: Place the chicken over the potato wedges and rub the chicken skin with the butter.
- Step 18: Bake the chicken @200ºC for 30 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown and crispy.
For Serving the Roast Chicken & Pilaf:
- Step 18: Place the roasted chicken, potato wedges, fresh coriander and lime wedge in the serving plate. Then transfer the pilaf in a serving bowl and serve immediately. Enjoy!!
Pro Tips:
Soak the rice for at least 30 minutes for optimal texture. If you are in hurry, a 10 minute soak in hot water is a viable alternative.
Maintaining the right rice-to-water ratio is crucial for achieving fluffy rice.
About Me
DEBJANI MONDAL
Welcome to Kitchenstagram, the home of delicious recipes, culinary inspiration and cooking adventures. I’m Debjani and I’m thrilled to be your guide through the wonderful world of food. I’m a self-taught professional baker, home chef, recipe developer, author of Kitchenstagram and an aspiring YouTuber.
My passion for food and cooking began at a very young age, when I would watch my mom and dad cook for me and my brother. My dad, in particular is a great cook whose culinary skills made a lasting impression on me. My dad would cook up a storm on special occasions by cooking variety of dishes, from delicious biriyani to samosa, fish fry, rasgullas and kachoris (sweet & spicy deep fried pastry with filling of lentils, meat or fish…>>>>>
FOLLOW ME
My Latest Posts
- post 1
- post 2