**A Culinary Journey Through Moroccan Flavors: Chicken with Shallots, Dates, and Apricots**
Tantalize your taste buds with a delectable Moroccan feast, featuring succulent chicken delicately stewed with shallots, plump dates, and sweet apricots. This symphony of flavors is a testament to the vibrant culinary heritage of Morocco, where aromatic spices and fresh ingredients dance together to create a harmonious dish. Embark on a culinary adventure as we explore this tantalizing recipe, along with variations that offer a delightful twist on this classic. From the traditional preparation using a tagine to a modern take in a slow cooker, each recipe promises a unique experience that will transport you to the heart of Moroccan cuisine. Prepare to indulge in a flavorful journey that will leave you craving more.
CHICKEN WITH SHALLOTS
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels and sprinkle them generously on both sides with salt and pepper. In a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, until it begins to smoke. Place the chicken breasts, skin side down, in the skillet and cook for 4 to 5 minutes without moving, until golden brown.
- Using tongs, turn the chicken breasts skin side up, place the skillet in the oven, and roast for 12 to 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
- Meanwhile, in a medium saute pan, combine the white wine, lemon juice, and shallots and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until only 2 tablespoons of liquid remain in the pan. If it reduces too much, add an extra splash of white wine or water. Add the cream, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and bring to a full boil. Remove from the heat, add the diced butter, and swirl the pan until the butter is incorporated. Don't reheat or the sauce will "break"! Sprinkle with salt and serve the chicken hot with the sauce spooned over it.
PAN-ROASTED CHICKEN WITH SHALLOTS AND DATES
The sweet-and-salty play of dates and green olives bolstered by white wine, thyme, and caramelized shallots make this easy weeknight dish dinner-party worthy.
Provided by Athena Calderone
Categories Dinner Chicken Roast Date Shallot White Wine Garlic Thyme Olive Winter
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Set the chicken out at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Position a rack in the top third of your oven.
- Place your largest cast-iron skillet in the oven for 15 minutes. Pat the chicken breasts dry and generously season them on all sides with salt and pepper. Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven and place it on the stovetop. Add the grapeseed oil to the skillet and heat it over medium-high heat until the oil has a subtle ripple effect. You want the oil to be very hot. Working in two batches, cook the chicken, skin-side down, until the skin is crispy and golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of oil from the pan.
- Remove the chicken from the skillet and set it onto a plate as you build your sauce. Over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in the skillet and add the shallots. Cook the shallots undisturbed for 5 to 6 minutes, until they are caramelized and golden. Add the garlic, a few thyme sprigs, 1 tablespoon of the butter, and season with salt and pepper. Toss the shallots and continue to cook until they begin to soften, 5 to 7 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the wine and reduce it by half. Add a few more thyme sprigs and the stock. Simmer the sauce over medium to low heat for 15 minutes, until reduced slightly. Check for seasoning and add the dates and olives to the sauce.
- Return the chicken breasts to the skillet, skin-side up, and place it in the oven. Roast the chicken until it's just cooked through, about 20 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast should register 160°F (70°C).
- Transfer the chicken breasts to a plate; set them aside and keep warm. Return the skillet to the stovetop over medium to low heat and add the vinegar to the sauce. Simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove it from the heat and stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the lemon juice. Check and adjust the seasoning. Return the chicken to the skillet and serve it immediately, garnished with the remaining thyme and the lemon zest.
SPICED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH DATES
Provided by Food Network Kitchen
Categories main-dish
Time 35m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 425˚. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, the paprika and brown sugar. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, reduce the heat to medium and cook until browned, 6 minutes. Flip the chicken; transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake until cooked through, 10 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate and cover with foil.
- Pour off the juices from the skillet; reserve. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet and set over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook, undisturbed, until browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Toss; cook until tender, 2 more minutes. Add the dates and vinegar; cook until the vinegar is reduced, 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, bring to a simmer and cook until reduced, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the reserved skillet juices and any juices from the plate of chicken.
- Meanwhile, cook the noodles in the boiling water as the label directs. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain the noodles and return to the pan. Add the butter and 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking water. Toss until coated, adding more cooking water as needed. Season with salt and pepper and stir in 3 tablespoons parsley.
- Slice the chicken and top with the sauce. Serve with the noodles; sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon parsley.
CHICKEN WITH SHALLOTS, DATES AND APRICOTS
Found in the Williams-Sonoma "Taste" cookbook, this recipe is sweet and savory and so comforting. It is best served with basmati rice.
Provided by KissKiss
Categories Stew
Time 1h30m
Yield 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- If preferred, trim the fat and skin from the chicken. Rinse, pat dry, and season with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot with a lid (to be used later) over medium-high heat.
- Add chicken and bay leaves and cook until browned, about 7-10 minutes on each side. Add a 1/2 cup water, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 35-40 minutes.
- Pour off pan juices and reserve. Pile chicken on one side of the pan, raise the heat to medium and add the shallots. Cook until the soften, about 2 minutes.
- Add wine and vinegar, and scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Add dates and apricots, then redistribute the chicken in the pot.
- Add the reserved liquid and simmer until chicken is heated through and tender, about 12-15 minutes.
- Remove and discard bay leaves. Serve immediately.
CHICKEN WITH APRICOTS
Chicken with dried apricots is hardly a new idea, but I had issues with its most common interpretations. For one thing, they were almost always cloying; the routine addition of cinnamon and cloves does nothing to offset the apricots' sweetness and makes the dish taste more like dessert than dinner. For another, they were usually stewed rather than braised, turning the chicken skin sodden. I brown the chicken in a nonstick skillet with no fat, and that works well. A tablespoon or two of butter, stirred in at the end, will make the sauce richer. Or you can render some bacon, remove it, and brown the chicken in the bacon fat, then crumble the bacon and stir it in at the end of cooking. Finally, any dried fruit can be used, or a combination; with the short cooking time, even prunes will remain intact. But be aware that fruit dried with sulfur (the common method) becomes tender much faster than fruit dried organically, which needs a couple of hours of soaking before cooking.
Provided by Mark Bittman
Categories dinner, easy, weekday, main course
Time 40m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Combine apricots in a bowl with vinegar, wine and 1/4 cup water. Let soak while you brown the chicken.
- Turn the heat to medium high under a 12-inch nonstick skillet, and add chicken pieces, skin side down. Cook, rotating but not turning pieces so they brown evenly. When they are nicely browned - take your time - turn them so they are skin side up. Make a little space to add the onion, and cook, stirring the onion occasionally until it has softened a bit, a minute or two.
- Add apricot mixture and bring to a boil; cook for a minute, then turn heat to low and cover. Cook until chicken is done, 15 to 20 minutes. Uncover, raise heat and season chicken well with salt and pepper. Boil away any excess liquid; sauce should not be too watery. Serve with white rice or any other cooked grain, or bread.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 613, UnsaturatedFat 22 grams, Carbohydrate 24 grams, Fat 35 grams, Fiber 3 grams, Protein 44 grams, SaturatedFat 10 grams, Sodium 777 milligrams, Sugar 19 grams, TransFat 0 grams
RISHIA ZIMMERN'S CHICKEN WITH SHALLOTS
Here is a simple, excellent one-pot recipe for a midweek feast, full of rich flavor, with a sauce that you won't want to waste. It came to The Times in 2014 via the Twitter account of Andrew Zimmern, the chef and globe-trotting television personality who thrills to home cooking when he's not at work, which is not often. His then wife, Rishia Zimmern, adapted it from Martha Stewart, and he put it on the social network: "Brown 8 thighs, 3 C shallots. Add wine, tarragon, Dijon, sim 30 min covered. Remove lid, reduce. Add 2C cut cherry toms." We've been messing around with that ever since, and thrill to its flavor. Lay in bread to accompany it, and sop up the sauce.
Provided by Sam Sifton
Categories dinner
Time 1h30m
Yield 4 to 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Pat the chicken thighs very dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the flour, salt and pepper over the chicken.
- Melt the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or skillet set over medium-high heat. When the butter foams, cook the chicken, in batches if necessary, until well browned and crisp on all sides. Set aside.
- Add the whole shallots to the pot and sauté them in the butter and chicken fat until they begin to soften and caramelize, about 10 to 12 minutes. Add the wine to deglaze the pot, stir with a large spoon, then add the mustard and tarragon, then the chicken thighs. Cover the pot, turn the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Remove the lid, and allow the sauce to reduce and thicken, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Add the cherry tomatoes to the pot, stir lightly to combine and serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 658, UnsaturatedFat 22 grams, Carbohydrate 30 grams, Fat 37 grams, Fiber 6 grams, Protein 37 grams, SaturatedFat 12 grams, Sodium 1115 milligrams, Sugar 13 grams, TransFat 0 grams
SLOW COOKER CHICKEN WITH APRICOTS AND DATES
Boneless, skinless chicken are marinated and then cooked slowly in the marinate flavored with cumin and cinnamon. Tender dates and apricots give the sauce a slightly sweet flavor. I served this with brown rice.
Provided by Crazycook in PA
Categories Chicken Breast
Time 7h30m
Yield 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Mix garlic, orange juice, cumin, cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a small bowl. Pour mixture in a ziplock bag.
- Add chicken and shake to coat and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Heat remaining oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Saute onion until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
- Remove onion and set aside and add contents of ziplock bag to skillet and saute just until brown on both sides, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer chicken along with onions to crock pot.
- Add broth, apricots and dates to crock pot and stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.
HONEY-GLAZED CHICKEN AND SHALLOTS
The combination of a sweet glaze, tangy shallots and pan-roasted chicken makes this a quick but decadent one-pan meal. Caramelizing shallots first, then tossing them with sherry vinegar gives them a pickled but syrupy bite. A little heat from a spicy chile and some freshness from parsley leaves balance this flavorful dish. Serve right off the stove, over cooked grains or alongside a crisp salad.
Provided by Yewande Komolafe
Categories dinner, quick, weeknight, poultry, main course
Time 40m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Pat the chicken dry and season all over with salt. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium. Add the shallots and cook, turning frequently, until lightly caramelized on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer the shallots to a medium bowl and set aside.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet, and raise the heat to medium-high. Place the chicken skin side down and sear without moving until the skin is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Turn and cook the other side until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium-low, and add 1/4 cup water to the skillet. Use a spatula or tongs to loosen any stuck bits. Stir the honey, lime juice, garlic and chile into the liquid around the chicken pieces. Cover with a lid or foil, and cook until the meat is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Uncover, raise the heat to high and cook until the sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes more.
- Toss the shallots with the sherry vinegar and parsley, and season with salt. Serve the chicken with the dressed shallots and spoon the pan sauce over everything.
CHICKEN TAGINE WITH APRICOTS AND SPICED PINE NUTS
Steps:
- Make tagine:
- Cut out and reserve wings and backbone from chicken. Cut breast in half through bone, then cut off legs and cut to separate into thighs and drumsticks (for a total of 6 serving pieces, not including wings and backbone). Pat chicken pieces dry and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, then brown chicken breasts, skin sides down, without turning, 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Brown thighs and legs, turning once, 8 to 10 minutes, transferring to plate. Brown wings and backbone in same manner.
- Cook shallots in butter with remaining tablespoon oil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over medium heat, stirring frequently, until soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, turmeric, and paprika and cook, stirring, 3 minutes.
- Add chicken with any juices from plate, saffron (if using), and 1/2 teaspoon salt to shallot mixture and turn chicken to coat. Add water and bring to a boil, covered, then cook at a bare simmer, covered, 30 minutes.
- Turn chicken and add orange preserves, cinnamon stick, thyme, cilantro sprigs, and apricots. Simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Uncover and simmer until chicken is very tender, 10 to 15 minutes more.
- Brown pine nuts while chicken cooks:
- Heat oil in a small heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, then stir in pine nuts, turmeric, paprika, and cayenne (if using) and cook, stirring frequently, until nuts are lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes (watch carefully; they burn easily). Transfer to a small bowl.
- To serve:
- Transfer chicken to a platter and keep warm, covered. If sauce is not thick, boil, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 1 cup. Discard herb sprigs, cinnamon stick, wings, and backbone. Stir in chopped cilantro and spoon sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with nuts.
- What to drink:
- Chateau Reynella McLaren Vale Grenache '04
ROAST CHICKEN WITH APRICOTS AND OLIVES
This festive dish is a fairly easy main course for the Seder meal - or anytime. Marinating overnight leaves very little work on the day of serving, but two hours is enough to infuse the chicken with tangy citrus and the sumac. Dried apricots, already more tart than sweet, are marinated along with the chicken and become almost savory in the oven. Using pitted Castelvetrano olives will save you a lot of elbow grease, and their meaty texture and mild flavor are perfect here. After roasting together, everything goes under the broiler to deeply brown and thicken the cooking juices into a tasty sauce.
Provided by Susan Spungen
Categories dinner, poultry, main course
Time 3h
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- Slash each piece of chicken through the skin a few times, about 1 inch deep. Season with the salt and pepper and place in a large bowl or large resealable plastic bag. Whisk lemon juice, orange juice, honey, garlic, thyme, sumac and 3 tablespoons olive oil in a bowl to combine. Add lemon slices, apricots, olives and olive brine. Pour the marinade over the chicken and cover tightly or remove as much air as possible before sealing it. Set on a small sheet pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours, turning the bag from time to time.
- Position a rack 8 inches from the broiler heat source. Place an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and heat oven to 450 degrees. Toss shallots with remaining tablespoon oil and spread out on a large sheet pan, cut sides down. Place on the lower rack and cook, turning once, until starting to turn golden, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and use your hands and a slotted spoon to scoop the chicken, apricots, lemon slices and olives onto the pan, reserving the marinade. Arrange in an even layer with the chicken skin side up and return to the oven. Cook for 15 minutes, baste the chicken with the drippings, and cook until chicken juices run clear, about 10 minutes longer. Remove the pan from the oven. Heat the broiler to high.
- Pour the reserved marinade and wine over the chicken, and broil until the chicken is browned and the liquid is thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. If the apricots start to get too dark, turn them over in the sauce. Transfer to a platter. If you used chicken breasts, cut them in half. Pour the sauce over everything or serve it on the side.
Tips:
- Mise en place: Before you start cooking, make sure you have all your ingredients prepped and measured out. This will help you stay organized and avoid scrambling during the cooking process.
- Use high-quality ingredients: The better the quality of your ingredients, the better your dish will taste. Look for fresh, seasonal produce and high-quality meat and poultry.
- Don't overcrowd the pan: When searing chicken or other meats, make sure you don't overcrowd the pan. This will prevent the meat from cooking evenly and will result in steamed meat instead of seared meat.
- Use a meat thermometer: A meat thermometer is essential for ensuring that your chicken is cooked to the proper temperature. Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken breast and cook until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C).
- Let the chicken rest: Once the chicken is cooked, let it rest for a few minutes before slicing or serving. This will help the juices redistribute throughout the meat, resulting in more tender and flavorful chicken.
Conclusion:
These four recipes are a great way to enjoy chicken with a variety of flavors. The chicken with shallots, dates, and apricots is a sweet and savory dish that is perfect for a special occasion. The chicken with artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes is a flavorful and easy-to-make weeknight meal. The chicken with mushrooms and white wine is a classic French dish that is sure to impress your guests. And the chicken with bacon and maple syrup is a sticky and delicious dish that is perfect for a weekend brunch. No matter which recipe you choose, you're sure to enjoy a delicious and satisfying meal.
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