Moroccan Chicken with Lemon Marinade (Mkalli M'hammer)

This is an other Moroccan way to Roast a Chicken , it gives it an other Twist , very Moist With a  lemony Flavor, This recipe is an Easy way to enjoy A Delicious Chicken Meal with your Family ..

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken

Washing the chicken: 

warm water, 1/3 cup lemon juice, salt

Marinade Spices:  

1/2  Teaspoon salt

 2    Teaspoon ground ginger

 1/4 Teaspoon black pepper

 1/4 Teaspoon ground turmeric and a pinch of saffron

  4    Garlic cloves (crushed)

 1/4  Preserved lemon pulp (or replace with 2 tbsp lemon juice)

 2    TBS olive oil

Chicken Sauce:

 1   Small onion grated

 3   Garlic cloves (crushed)

 a   Small bunch of cilantro

 

 2   TBS olive oil

 1    Teaspoon salt

 1    Teaspoon ground ginger

 1/4 Teaspoon black pepper

 1/4 Teaspoon ground turmeric

Caramelized Onions:

 3    Large onions (grated)

 1    Teaspoon salt

 1    Teaspoon ground ginger

 1/4 Teaspoon  black pepper

 1/4  Teaspoon ground turmeric

Dijon Mustard Coating:

 1 Teaspoon Dijon mustard

 2  TBS vegetable oil

Steps:

 Marinating the Chicken

1-First, place the chicken in a large bowl filled with warm water. Add 1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice to the water. Wash the chicken in this water and use salt to rub the chicken all over, while washing it with the lemony water. Place the chicken in a sieve over a bowl and let it drain.

2- While the chicken is draining, prepare the marinate  In a bowl, put together the marinade spices, the crushed garlic cloves, and the preserved lemon pulp chopped into a smooth paste with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a little bit of water. Mix well with a fork. 

3- Place the chicken in a large bowl and rub it with the marinade. Make sure to cover the entire chicken and also pour some marinade in between the skin and the meat.

4- Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap, and let the chicken marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Ideally, it should marinate overnight so that the chicken absorbs all the spices and the meat becomes tender.

Tip: You can actually wrap the chicken with a plastic wrap and foil, and freeze it. All you have to do is thaw the chicken the day you want to cook it and proceed as described! 

Cooking the Chicken:

1- After the chicken marinates, remove it from the bown and tuss it (either using a thread or without). The goal is to make the chicken compact so that it cooks evenly. If you don't have a thread, just make a whole in of the membranes in the rear of the chicken, inter the leg across the membrane in the whole, then push the other leg in between the first leg and the chicken body (similar to a Lotus yoga pose). You can also pin the wings to the body using a tooth pick.

2- In a large pot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 onion (grated), and the sauce spices (salt, ground ginger, ground turmeric, black pepper, and saffron threads - saffron is optional). Cook for 3 minutes on medium heat.

3- Place the chicken in the pot, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Turn the chicken around, and cook the other side, covered, for another 5 minutes.

4- After cooking the chicken on both sides 5 minutes each, turn the chicken so that the chicken breast is at the bottom of the pot, because chicken breast takes longer to cook. Add the cilantro to the pot, add 1 cup water (or enough water to cover half the chicken), cover the pot, and cook on medium heat, covered, for 25-30 minutes.

5- Turn the chicken to the other side, and cook covered for another 25 minutes. The cooking time will depend on how long the chicken was set to marinate. The longer it was marinating, the softer the chicken will be, and the less cooking time required.

Note: check on the level of water from time to time and add if necessary - just enough for the chicken to be cooking in liquid and not burn. You many not need to add water. 

Making the Caramelized Onions:

1- While the chicken is cooking, in a separate sauce pan, pour 2 tablespoon of olive oil. Add 3 large onions (chopped) and the spices (salt, ground ginger, ground turmeric, and black pepper).

2- Take 1/2 cup of sauce where the chicken is cooking and add it to the onions.

3- Mix well. Cook the onions on low heat for 45 to 50 minutes until they become soft and smooth. When you taste them, they should not have a 'raw' taste and should taste cooked. Stir the onions from time to time so they don't burn. 

Reducing the Chicken Sauce:

1- When the chicken is done, remove it and place it in a baking pan.

2- Remove the cilantro from the sauce, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook the sauce for 10 minutes or so, uncovered, so that the liquids evaporate and the sauce is reduced. It should become thick.  

Roasting the Chicken:

1- Place the chicken in a baking pan (from step 4). 

2-  Brush the chicken with a 'Dijon mustard' mixture, where you mix 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. This will give the chicken a beautiful color and more flavor!

3- Broil the chicken in the oven for 3 to 4 minutes until it gets a deep brown color. 

Serving the Chicken:

1- One the chicken is roasted, place it in a large plate.

2- Pour the hot thick chicken sauce on top and around.

3- Place the hot caramelized onions on top of the chicken and around.

4- Serve immediately with Moroccan bread or crusty bread

Coconut Chicken with Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce

I wanted to try This Dish since i read it in an other Blog .. and i wondered about The Taste .. Really ? Coconut on a Chicken ?!! .. Let me tell you .. it cames out wonderful ! we enjoy it yesterday specially with the Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce..it add a Balanced Flavor to it! 

Ingredients:

2        Lbs Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2        Large Eggs

1/2     Cup All purpose flour

1        Cup Panko bread crumbs

1        Cup Shredded coconut

1/2     Teaspoon salt

1/4     Cup vegetable oil, divided

1         Cup sweet chili sauce

Steps:

1- Cut off any extra fat globules from your chicken breasts. Cut each breast into 6 strips, diagonally to prevent the end strips from being really short. See photos below.

 2- Prepare your breading station by gathering three bowls. In the first bowl combine the flour and salt. In the second bowl, combine the eggs and coconut milk. Whisk together until well combined. In the third bowl, stir together the panko bread crumbs and shredded coconut.

 3- Place 1/4 cup of vegetable oil in a large heavy duty skillet and heat over medium/high heat until it is just below smoking. You can test the heat by throwing in a little bit of flour. When it is hot enough, the flour will sizzle and create a lot of bubbles.

 4- While the oil is heating, dredge the chicken strips. First, coat each strip in the flour and salt mixture. Then dip each into the eggs/coconut milk and finally coat each in panko and shredded coconut. I find it easiest to coat all of them in the flour then go back and then do the egg wash and panko/coconut for each before moving onto the next.

 5- After breading the strips, the oil should be hot enough. Place about 6 strips in the pan at once. There should only be one layer in the pan and there should be about an inch between each strip. If you over crowd the pan it will get too cold and the strips will soak up a lot of oil instead of frying. Fry the strips for 2-3 minutes on each side or until they are golden brown and crispy. Place them on a plate with paper towel to drain and move on to the next batch. After a couple of batches you may need more oil so you can add the second 1/4 cup to the pan. Allow the oil to come up to temperature before frying the next batch (2-3 minutes). Because the strips are thin, they should be cooked through by the time both sides are browned. You can tell by the texture of the chicken; it should be stiff when pressed. If you cut your strips thicker, you will need to bake off the chicken after frying to make sure the insides are cooked through.

 6-When all of the strips are done frying, serve immediately with sweet chili sauce to dip in. 

Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Casserole

A sweet potato casserole , is a Traditional American dish for special Occasions made with mashed sweet potatoes and a crunchy pecan topping...I find That the combination of these Ingredients is delightful !

Ingredients:

Potatoes:

2     Pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup evaporated low-fat milk
3    TBS butter, melted
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1    Teaspoon vanilla extract
2    Large eggs (Can skip it if you are a vegetarian)
Cooking spray 

Topping:

(about 1/3 cup) all-purpose flour 
2/3             cup packed brown sugar
1/8             teaspoon salt
2                TBS melted butter
1/2             cup chopped pecans

Steps:

1-  Preheat oven to 350° F.

2-  To prepare potatoes, place potatoes in a Dutch oven; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until tender; drain. Cool 5 minutes.

3- Place potatoes in a large bowl; add granulated sugar, evaporated milk, 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and vanilla. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add eggs; beat well. Pour potato mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking pan coated with cooking spray.

4- To prepare topping, weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup ,level with a spatula or a knife . Combine flour, brown sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt , stir with a whisk. Stir in 2 tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle flour mixture evenly over potato mixture , arrange pecans evenly over top. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes or just until golden.

5- Preheat broiler (remove casserole from oven).

6- Broil casserole 45 seconds or until topping is bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!