After being in Morocco and eating Tagine on a daily basis I can say that without a doubt, this is my favorite Tagine. There is something magical when you mix the chicken with prunes, apricots, and all those exotic aromatic spices. I had to bring my own lunch to a blog seminar and was informed that there would be a microwave available. When I warmed up my Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Prunes and Apricots and started eating, every single person who came inside the dining room wanted to know what I was eating, and what smelled so good. This dish is pure wonderfulness (spellchecker going crazy)!

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Since this is my second Tagine post, I will not repeat all of the information regarding Tagine that I had in the first post. What I would remind you is that Tagine is both a piece of cookware and a style of cooking. A Tagine is a two-piece set of cookware, traditionally made of clay and comprising a round shallow base topped with a fluted cone-shaped chimney. In Morocco, tagines are used for cooking stews and in some cases eggs and vegetables for a morning meal. If you don’t have a Tagine in the house, feel free to try a cast-iron or enameled Dutch Oven.

Although I have presented a couple of wonderful classic recipes, I would like to add that there is no single traditional recipe for Tagine but each Region, city, village, family, has its own authentic recipe. And let’s also say that like all dishes, it can be cooked with the ingredients to your liking. So here I offer you my choice, then you have fun trying your variants. 

Serve this delicious Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Prunes and Apricots with your favorite couscous or bread and see magic happens. BON APPETIT! 

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Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Prunes and Apricots

Course Main Course

Cuisine Moroccan

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author My Global Cuisine

Ingredients

• 4 chicken thighs 4 chicken drumsticks
• 1 lemon preserved with pulp separated and minced
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tablespoon harissa Moroccan chili sauce
• 2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
• 1 pinch saffron threads
• 1 TSP ground coriander
• 1 TSP ground ginger
• 1 TSP ground cumin
• 1 TSP ground paprika
• 1 TSP ground turmeric
• 1/2 TSP salt
• 1 TSP ground pepper
• 3 TBSP fresh chopped parsley
• 3 TBSP fresh chopped cilantro
• 3 TBSP oil
• 1 small sweet onion diced
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 10 dried pitted prunes
• 15 dried apricots
• 3 TBSP brown sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 TBSP brown sugar
• 1 TSP butter
• 1 TSP chopped cilantro and 1 TSP chopped parsley for garnishing

Instructions

• Begin by first removing the fat and skin off the chicken then wash it and set it aside.
• Now, let's make the marinade. In a large bowl add minced lemon pulp, garlic, harissa sauce, lemon juice, saffron threads, ground coriander, ginger, cumin, paprika, turmeric, salt, pepper, parsley, and cilantro. Mix it altogether. Rub the chicken with marinate making sure you massage the chicken and spread the marinade all over it evenly.
• Turn on fire on medium-low and heat up the tagine pot, making sure to place a heat diffuser underneath, otherwise the clay pot will crack, or use a dutch oven or a large heavy skillet. Heat up the oil and start to cook the onions on a medium fire until they are soft and translucent about 6 minutes. Arrange the chicken on top of the onions and cook for about 3 minutes on each side. Add the chicken broth to remaining marinate, mix it together and poor over the chicken and bring to a boil. Cover the tagine pot and cook it for 30 minutes. Meanwhile place the prunes, apricots, sugar, and cinnamon stick inside a sauce pan, add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook on a low fire uncovered for 10-15 minutes or until the liquid has reduced and turn into a sirup consistency.
• After 30 minutes turn chicken and cook for another 15 minutes. Add chopped lemon preserved peel and butter. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the prunes, apricots with the sirup sauce and discard the cinnamon stick. Stir and cook for another 5 minutes. Taste the chicken tagine and add more salt or pepper to taste. Sprinkle 1 TSP of cilantro-parsley on top and serve immediately with couscous or rice. Bon appetite!
• Turn the chicken over and cook for another 20 minutes. Add the chopped preserved lemon peel and the butter. Stir it. Cook for another 10 minutes. Sprinkle some cilantro and parsley on it and serve it with couscous or bread.
• Do not add salt until the end as the chicken and the preserved lemon is already salty.

The post Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Prunes and Apricots appeared first on My Global Cuisine.

I first started making Chicken Cutlets years ago when my daughter was still fairly young and in her chicken nuggets phase. I have to admit it, although I loved the convenience of just throwing some chicken nuggets in the toaster oven, I didn’t like how they tasted. Plus, I felt guilty feeding her stuff out of a box, so I decided it was time that I did something about it, after all, chicken cutlets are so easy to make.

Since I am Brazilian and that is not something I grew up eating, I had to figure out how to make them. After doing some research online I came across this recipe I found on food52, by Merrill Stubbs. She was trying to impress her fiancé who loved German food and wiener schnitzel was one of his favorite dishes. Well, I figured, if these Herbed Chicken Cutlets are good enough to please her fiancé, they will definitely be good enough for my picky daughter to eat. I had to give it a shot. Guess what, I made these Herbed Chicken Cutlets and they were an instant hit. My daughter not only loved them, but it became one of her favorite meals to have.

With time, I realized that the grown-ups loved this dish as well, perhaps because of the mixed herbs with parmesan cheese in it, or because they are so crunchy, delicious and you can have dinner on the table on a snap. Merrill Stubbs prefers panko to plain breadcrumbs on her chicken cutlets because of the extra crunch. I would have to agree with her on this one. That crunchy texture is SO GOOD!

When I make these Herbed Chicken Cutlets for my daughter and her friends, I serve them alongside some mashed potatoes and a green vegetable. Unfortunately for me, the green vegetable cannot compete with the Chicken Cutlets and mashed potatoes, so they always get pushed aside by the kids. Poor veggies. For myself, I just serve these Herbed Chicken Cutlets with some mixed greens and a glass of wine. Yum!

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Herbed Chicken Cutlets

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 6 minutes minutes

Total Time 26 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author My Global Cuisine

Ingredients

• 1 cup Japanese style panko breadcrumbs
• 1 Tbsp chopped assorted herbs parsley, thyme, rosemary
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts pounded to about 1/4 inch thick

Instructions

• In a wide shallow bowl or pie plate, stir together the panko, herbs, parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste.
• In another bowl, crack the eggs, add a pinch of salt and pepper and lightly beat with a fork.
• In a third bowl, stir together the flour and a large pinch each of salt and pepper.
• Line a baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels.
• Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over a medium-high flame. Add the butter. In the meantime, coat one of the chicken breasts with the seasoned flour, shaking off any excess. Dip the breast in the egg mixture, and then in the breadcrumbs, pressing them lightly so that they adhere. Set on a plate and repeat with other chicken breast.
• When the butter just starts to turn brown, gently lay both of the chicken breasts in the pan, side by side. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the bottom is golden brown and crispy. Gently turn the chicken over and cook for another couple of minutes, until both sides are evenly browned.
• Remove the chicken and let it drain on the paper-towel lined baking sheet for a minute or so.
• Serve immediately, ideally with mashed potatoes and something green.

The post Herbed Chicken Cutlets appeared first on My Global Cuisine.

Caribbean Curried Chicken is a popular take-out dish served at restaurants throughout Trinidad, Guyana and Surinam. It is sometimes served with rice but more commonly served with Roti. Roti (also known as chapati) is a flatbread originating from the India. These countries all have culinary traditions rooted in cuisine India, China and Creole thanks to the many immigrants who have come to the countries over the years.  I have eaten Caribbean Curried Chicken at restaurants in Trinidad and Surinamese restaurants in Amsterdam. Surinamese restaurants are popular in Amsterdam and were responsible for providing delivery services long before take out and delivery was popularized. Prior to becoming an independent state in 1975, Suriname was ruled by the Netherlands and as a result, many Surinamese people migrated to The Netherlands.Suriname is is located between Guyana and French Guiana on the North coast of South America. It is considered to be a culturally Caribbean country, and is a member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

I have always loved this dish and longed to cook it at home. As it turns out, finding the right balance or curry powders, and liquid in the stew was not an easy task. Although a good curry powder will enhance the flavor of any dish, finding the right balance of spices takes practice. As the origins of this dish are ancient, many recipes out there fail to give you the exact quantities, and as a result you ended up with either a bland or overly spicy stew. It took me some time to perfect the right balance between the spices and liquids, but I’m so glad I did so I could pass along this knowledge to you. I am sure you will find this a delicious curry dish, that will remain in your family for generations to come.

This Caribbean Curried Chicken is also a perfect dish for entertaining  because you can make it in advance and heat it up when company arrives. Just be careful to not over cook the potatoes and carrots. I usually turn off the fire 10 minutes prior to finish cooking, and then cook for another 10 minutes right before serving it. In some caribbean islands they serve this Caribbean Curried Chicken with potato roti or rice and toppings such as shredded coconut. I prefer mine with hot white rice since there are already potatoes in the stew.

Here are some of the steps I took it to make this Caribbean Curried Chicken.

I chopped the onions on widely slices and the rest of the ingredients finely chopped.

I sear the chicken to seal in moisture and release chicken flavor into the pan, where it can be deglazed and incorporated into the stew. Just make sure that you dry the chicken in paper towels prior to sear in order to avoid splattering over the stove or you.

The final result. A beautiful chicken stew that will be sure to satisfy your tummy and your guests. Enjoy!

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Caribbean Curried Chicken

Course Main Course

Cuisine Caribbean

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings 8 servings

Author My Global Cuisine

Ingredients

• 1 lemon squeezed
• 2 Tsp of salt
• 1 Tsp of pepper
• 1 5- pound chicken cut out or 6 chicken thighs and 6 drumsticks
• 3 Tbs of canola oil
• 1 large onion thick sliced
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 1/4 cup curry powder
• 1 cup chopped thinly sliced scallions about 8 small
• 2 Tbsp parsley chopped- set aside 1 teaspoon
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 small red potatoes peeled and halved or 3 large ones cubed
• 3 large carrots peeled and sliced
• 2 Tsp of brown sugar

Instructions

• Clean and wash the chicken. Place inside a large bowl and add 1 Tsp of salt and the squeezed lemon juice. Rub it all over the chicken with the salt. Let the chicken sit at the kitchen counter and marinate it for one hour.
• Remove the chicken from the lemon juice and pat dry with paper towels. This will prevent the chicken from splattering when you sear it.
• In a Dutch oven or large thick pot, add the oil and place it on high heat. Once the oil is hot, sear the chicken skin side down then flip it over. This is just to seal the juices in the chicken, so it will still be raw. Don't overcrowd the chicken, do a few pieces at a time. Once seared, remove the chicken pieces from the pot. Rest aside. Add sliced onion to the pot with a pinch of salt. This will prevent the onion from burning. Sauté the onion until soft and beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for only 20 seconds. Add wine.Turn up the fire, bring to a boil and cook until wine is reduced and the onions and garlic sit in a thick gravy for about a minute or so. Add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Add the curry powder. Stir well. Add the scallions, 1 Tbsp parsley, thyme sprigs and the bay leaf. Stir. Add the chicken pieces back to the pot. Pour in any of the cooked chicken juices. Bring to a boil, reduce fire to low, cook for 30 minutes with the pot partially closed.
• After 30 minutes, stir the chicken, add the potatoes, the carrots, the brown sugar, and the remaining 1 Tsp of salt. Stir well. Cook for another 30 minutes.
• Taste the chicken. Add more salt and pepper to taste if necessary and the remaining parsley. Remove the thyme sprigs and discard them. The potatoes and carrots should be tender at this point and the chicken should pull easy from the bone and have a nice gravy to it.
• If you prefer your gravy thicker, remove a ladle full of gravy, place inside an skillet and boil it on high fire for about a minute and pour back into the Curried Chicken. Transfer to a bowl. Sprinkle some finely chopped parsley on top and serve with potato roti or hot white rice. Enjoy!
• Note: In some Caribbean Islands, it is customary to add hot pepper sauce to this dish. If that is your preference feel free to add a 1/4 teaspoon or more according to taste.

The post Caribbean Curried Chicken appeared first on My Global Cuisine.