Moroccan Inspired Chicken: A Meal for Multiple Senses
I was so excited for this Moroccan inspired chicken dish. Excited beyond measure. It started with this recipe for Homemade Moroccan Spice Blend that I found while searching Pinterest one evening. I had all the ingredients, and the combination of spices, the aroma of that alone was intoxicating.
After that I came across this recipe for Moroccan Chicken which just looked so beautiful. I had some chicken thighs and drumsticks I had been meaning to use, and this would be the perfect recipe for that.
First, I seasoned the chicken with the spice blend and let it sit in a bowl for 2 hours prior to cooking. This dish filled the house with such an amazing aroma. Be it the spices on the chicken, maybe the spices in the broth with the lemon, I don’t know. What I do know is that until this was ready to go, I was STARVING!
Side Dishes
I brainstormed for sides. Rice seemed inevitable. Is there a specific style of Moroccan rice? I found this recipe for Moroccan Rice Pilaf and used it as my inspiration for the dish below.
Problem – I don’t have some of the ingredients…this was during the situation of 2020 and supplies were scarce at times.
Solution – Substitute!
I didn’t have Basmati Rice, what I did have was long grain brown rice. They are not at all the same, and I really should have thought this through. The long grain rice, should have had some more time on the stove, or a soaked for a few hours beforehand. But, because I was winging it, I pulled it out of the oven, stirred it, and cooked for another 20 minutes.
We had no almonds or raisins, not a problem. My solution was to substitute something not at all similar but that I noticed in other recipes I viewed before choosing this one- tomatoes. I drained a can of Rotel and added it to the rice prior to putting it in the oven.
The rice came out delicious. A great combination of an hour of searching through Moroccan Rice recipes.
Needed Something Else…
I was super excited for the chicken and the rice. But it needed just something more. I was inspiring my meal by watching Mark Wiens in his trip to Morocco. If you’re unfamiliar with him and love food, be sure to check his channel out.
So I made this Moroccan Inspired Cucumber Salad which perfectly accompanied this meal with it’s light lemon and olive oil dressing.
This was a delicious experiment in food. I’d love to find somewhere to try Moroccan food and see how close I got it.
Matt’s only request was to use chicken breast next time instead of the drumstick and thighs. Fair enough; however, he does love bone in wings, so I’m not sure about that one….
Hungry for More?
If you liked this post, here are some other recipes you may enjoy!
