It's been far too hot to blog and anyway my home internet has been down for over 3 weeks. But today I have a craving for couscous and as I have my right arm back (read internet) then I am cooking and blogging again:

I imagine I would get this in a restaurant in Morocco; I can picture it now, the sun is shining over a secret riad where the lady owner is preparing this for me whilst I sip a very cold beer, oops I mean mint tea and listen to the hustle and bustle of a nearby market. I have never been to Morocco even though it is just a short ferry crossing away.

Chicken with Golden Couscous Crispy Onions - Casa Adora

Ingredients for Moroccan chicken couscous recipe

Chicken:

• 1 chicken leg, cut into thigh and drumstick
• Turmeric
• Ras el hanout
• Black pepper
• Salt
• Olive oil (for marinating and cooking)

Onions:

• 1 small onion (red, if available), thinly sliced
• Pinch of sugar
• Pinch of salt
• Boiling water
• Olive oil, for frying

Couscous:

• 100g couscous
• ½ stock cube, crumbled
• Turmeric
• Cinnamon
• Toasted sesame seeds
• Toasted pine nuts
• Lemon zest
• Crushed dried chillies
• Chopped dried apricots
• Frozen peas
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• ~100ml boiling water
• Fresh lemon juice
• Chopped fresh mint leaves, plus extra to serve

Method

Chicken:

1. Take one chicken leg and cut into thigh and drumstick.
2. Sprinkle with turmeric, ras el hanout, a grind of black pepper, and a pinch of salt, with a little drizzle of oil. Set aside for at least 30 minutes.
3. Cook in oil of choice over a medium heat, skin side down, until the skin starts to crisp. Turn over and continue cooking until the juices run clear when pierced with a skewer. Set aside and keep warm.

Onions:

1. Thinly slice a small onion and place in a bowl with a good pinch of sugar and salt. Pour over enough boiling water to cover and let it steep for 10 minutes or so — this softens the acidity and, with red onions, turns them a pinkish colour.
2. Add a generous glug of olive oil to a frying pan and fry the onions over a medium heat until golden and crispy. Set aside and keep warm.

Couscous:

1. Tip 100g couscous into a bowl and crumble over half a stock cube. Add a shake or three of turmeric, a sprinkle of cinnamon, toasted sesame seeds and pine nuts, lemon zest, crushed dried chillies, chopped dried apricots, a few frozen peas, and one finely chopped garlic clove.
2. Pour over just enough boiling water to cover, about 100ml. Stir, cover with cling film, and leave to cook for 5 minutes.
3. Once done, squeeze in some fresh lemon juice and add a few chopped mint leaves. Stir gently and fluff up.

To serve:
Pile the couscous in the centre of a plate, top with the chicken, then the crispy onions. Sprinkle with fresh mint leaves.

If you like fragrant, spice-forward chicken, my Persian Chicken Saffron Recipe (Morgh) follows a similar path with saffron and fig instead of ras el hanout and apricot.

This Moroccan chicken couscous recipe is part of my Chicken Recipes collection.
Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef