Moroccan-Style Chicken With Lentils

English_Rose's Note:

This rich chicken dish has vibrant North African flavours and goes fantastically with rice or couscous. Can be frozen for up to one month.

• Total Time: 2 hrs
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 40 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• salt and pepper
• 1 large onion, finely sliced
• 2 ounces split red lentils
• 14 ounces chopped tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 5 ounces dried apricots
• 1 ounce mint leaf, to serve (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F Rub 1 tbsp olive oil into the chicken thighs. Mix the garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper and paprika together, then rub all over the chicken thighs on both sides.
2. Heat a large flameproof casserole, add the chicken thighs and cook over a medium heat for 5 mins until golden on both sides.
3. You might need to do this in 2 batches, depending on the size of the casserole. Set the chicken aside. Turn down the heat, add the remaining oil and fry the onion for 5 mins until softened.
4. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, apart from the mint and bring to the boil. Place the chicken thighs on top and pour in any juices. Cover and cook for 1½ hrs, until the meat is tender and the sauce thickened. Season to taste.
5. Can be cooled and frozen at this stage for up to 1 month.
6. Defrost thoroughly in the fridge, then gently warm through. Scatter with fresh mint leaves and serve with couscous or rice.

Reviews

[limeleaf]

This was fantastic. I did it all on the stove top in my cast iron pot, cooking for 40 minutes after adding the chicken. I used mushroom stock cubes from the health food store since I had no stock on hand. The flavour is wonderful; I added a little hot sauce to increase the spice. Also, I put some green beans from the garden on top to steam for the last 5 minutes and served it over cous cous. Made a great dinner for all. Thank you so much English Rose for posting this recipe!

[Themadwife]

I love this recipe, and have made it for my young family several times. I wanted to get more pulses into their diet, so this with the lentils is ideal. Rich deepth of flavour without being too much for young taste buds. I do use chicken thighs with bone in, and shredd off later, as the bones add flaour to the stock. I've tried with lamd also, and those north African flavours work so well. Thanks for sharing.

[Chef #714366]

To try and find the right word would be WOW, WOW! This was fantastic, I did not want to stop eating this. AND, it's good for you, apricots, lentils...full of goodness and tastes great. My boys gobbled this up too. I did'nt think they would eat it and I made it for me with some to freeze. I served this with the recipe Alton Brown's Brown Rice from this website. I changed nothing, but did follow JustJans measurements for the lentils and apricots. I don't get over excited about much food, but this one woke up my tastebuds and beggin for more. Thank you English Rose!