One Pan Moroccan Chicken with Rice
My fuss free Moroccan chicken and rice is a comforting, easy introduction to Moroccan cuisine with the magical combination of citrus, floral and umami that preserved lemons bring to any savoury dish. This dish is really a one-pan wonder that involves some simple prep work. It then looks after itself in the oven, while you get on with enjoying your guests or weeknight tasks. The brown rice base absorbs the chicken broth that has been spice with saffron, cumin, coriander and cinnamon and gently steams the chicken as it bakes. The chillies used are mild and provide extra warmth to the dish rather than heat. Both the preserved lemons and the green olives add just the right touch of saltiness. And, with the addition of onions and capsicum, it’s entirely legit to serve it as a complete meal!
Equipment
- Mortar and pestle (optional)
- Garlic crusher (optional)
- Salad spinner (optional)
- 4 litre capacity casserole/roasting pan (lid optional)
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs skin on
- 6 chicken legs skin on
- 400 g tin chickpeas
- 375 g brown basmati rice
- 500 ml chicken broth (low salt)
- 250 ml white wine
- 1-2 preserved lemons
- 1 yellow capsicum
- 1 red capsicum
- 2 large brown onions
- 3 large cloves garlic
- 100 g green olives
- 2 long red chillies
- 1 small fresh bunch coriander
- 1 ½ teaspoons coriander seeds
- 1 ½ teaspoons cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon saffron threads (a large pinch)
- 2 fresh lemons
- 1 cup full fat Greek yoghurt
- Vegetable oil
Instructions
- Assemble ingredients.
- Preheat oven to 180°C fan forced 200°C conventional.
- Heat a 4 litre capacity flameproof casserole on medium heat. Add cumin and coriander seeds to the pan and swirl the pan gently.
- Remove from the pan when the seeds become fragrant and cool on a dish.
- Grind the seeds with a mortar and pestle and add cinnamon and set aside.
- Crush saffron in the mortar and pestle and scrape into a small bowl. Add a tablespoon of warm water to infuse the saffron, set aside.
- Remove lemon segments from preserved lemons and rinse under cold water. Pat dry with paper towels and set aside.
- Slice the lemon quarters across into strips approximately 4-5mm wide. Set aside.
- Peel the garlic and set aside.
- Split the chillies lengthwise down the middle, removing the membrane and seeds with a small paring knife. Slice the halves crosswise into 3-4mm strips. Set aside.
- Remove the roots from the fresh coriander and discard. Cut the coriander stems from the leaves and reserve the leaves in the fridge to garnish the finished dish. Chop the stems finely and set aside.
- Peel the onions, halve and cut them into segments about 2cm thick.
- Remove the core and seeds from the capsicum. Roughly chop the capsicum into large pieces.
- Add a couple of tablespoons of oil to the pan on medium high heat. Brown the chicken on both sides in batches, don’t crowd the pan. Set aside each batch on paper towels to absorb any excess oil. Set aside.
- Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan, swirl and add the chopped onions and capsicum. Leave without stirring to get some char happening on the edges of the vegetables. Stir them for a few minutes and remove from heat before they start to soften. Set aside.
- Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan, and heat on medium heat. Add the ground spice mix, crushed or chopped garlic, sliced chillies, bay leaves, and chopped coriander stems. Stir until the spices become aromatic, then add the rice and stir well to coat the rice with the flavoured oil.
- Add the wine to the pan and stir to deglaze.
- Add the chicken stock and saffron water to the pan and stir.
- Drain the tinned chickpeas, discarding the fluid. Add the chickpeas and stir to distribute them across the pan.
- Then add the onions and capsicum to the pan, pushing them into the rice part away.
- Add the strips of preserved lemon rind and the green olives across the top of the rice mixture, pushing them in lightly.
- Place the chicken, skin side up, on top of the rice base (do not press into the rice). If necessary, the chicken pieces can overlap slightly but the goal is for them to cook in a single layer.
- Cover pan with a tight fitting lid or cover with foil. If your lid is a bit loose, you can cover the pan with foil or baking paper first and then put the lid on.
- Bake for approximately 1 hour. Check at 45 minutes to see if the rice is cooked through. It will expand quite a bit, be soft, and have absorbed all the liquid. If the rice is not quite cooked and the liquid has all absorbed, add a small amount of chicken broth, wine or water. Cover and return to the oven until the rice has finished cooking.
- The chicken will be fully cooked at this stage. You can check a piece to make sure there is no blood near the bone or use an instant read thermometer, which should read a minimum of 74°C.
- Assemble the garnishes before serving. Cut lemon wedges and chop the coriander leaves coriander leaves. Place the Greek yoghurt in a serving bowl and drizzle some extra virgin olive oil.
- Serve the Moroccan chicken bake straight from the oven or keep covered and warm until ready to serve.
Just before you cook with abandon…
How to measure capacity of a pan? I used a 4 litre capacity baking dish for this recipe, measuring 35cm x 25cm x 5 cm. To find out the litre capacity of your roasting dish, use a liquid measuring jug and fill the pan with water, noting the quantity of water it takes to fill the pan to the top.
Wash before prepping: Please note that washing in cold water and drying herbs and non-peelable fruit and vegetables is assumed. I use a salad spinner for herbs and then roll them between paper towels to absorb the excess water. You can also submerge herbs in a bowl of cold water, shake them off and then roll in a clean tea towel or paper towels.
What oil do you use? For browning meat, I always use a flavourless high smoke point oil when browning meat or frying off vegetables. I generally choose rice bran oil or grape seed oil. I will use Peanut Oil if I am cooking an Asian style recipe.
No lid? If I don’t have a lid, I place two long pieces of aluminium foil on top of each other, shiny side inwards. They need to be longer then the baking dish as they also need to come up the ends of the dish. I then fold the long edge in twice, creating a 1cm seam. Open out the foil rectangle on the kitchen bench, being careful not to disturb the seam you’ve created. Keep the shiny side of the foil up. Place the pan in the middle of the foil and fold the foil over the top and ends of the pan. Create a tent like effect as you seal the seams of the foil by rolling them together.
Freezer friendly? The Moroccan chicken and rice bake can be frozen after baking and reheated in the oven at 160°C fan forced 180°C conventional.