Moroccan Chicken Stew
Serves 4 - 6
½ cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon whole coriander
1 teaspoon whole cumin
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
2 cups water
1 ½ teaspoons chicken base paste (like better than bouillon)
14 oz can no salt added diced tomatoes
12 oz bag frozen cubed butternut squash
½ cup golden raisins
5 oz jar pitted Greek green olives, well drained
5 oz baby spinach
Half a bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
In a small skillet over medium heat, add the whole spices and toast until fragrant. Add to a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Process until medium coarseness. Too the whole spices, add the paprika, chili powder, cayenne, and salt. Mix well.
Place chicken in a bowl and add half of the spices. Toss to combine, cover and let sit for at least 30 minutes.
In a medium heavy bottom pot over medium high heat, add a glug of olive oil and sear the chicken on both sides until browned. Cook in batches to not overcrowd the pan. Set aside.
Add another glug of olive oil and the onions. Saute the onions until soft and beginning to brown around the edges. You can add a splash of water if the pan is too dry to deglaze the spices left over from the chicken and keep the onions from burning.
Add the garlic, ginger and remaining spices, cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add in the water, chicken base, and diced tomatoes. Scrape the bottom of the pan well to remove any brown bits. Return the chicken to the pot along with the butternut squash, raisins and olives. Bring to a simmer, then turn the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 30 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the pot and use two forks to roughly shred it. Add back to the stew along with the spinach and cilantro. Mix until the spinach is just wilted. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve as is or over couscous or rice.
