Moroccan Saffron Chicken Recipe
Last Updated on
This stir-fry, made with lots of onions, saffron and other Moroccan spices, is easy to prepare and is a delight with renowned Moroccan specialities such as chicken bastilla and chicken briouats.
Saffron threads in Moroccan cooking are a stigma of the little purple crocus. Saffron is the world’s most expensive mass of spices because each flower has only three stigmas, which must be carefully hand-harvested and dried, resulting in the saffron threads we find on store shelves in jars. Because this is a labor-intensive process and it takes over 14,000 tiny stigmas to create an ounce of saffron, the spice comes with a huge price tag. Fortunately, it goes a bit far.
You’ll be tempted to eat this tender, delicious chicken straight from the bank, but it’s best served in a bed of Moroccan Rice Pilaf or Seffa Medfouna .
What you need
. 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces and skinned 2 large sweet white or yellow onions, chopped 1 tablespoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon white pepper 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 2 small pieces (2 to 3 inches) cinnamon stick 1 teaspoon saffron thread , crushed 1 teaspoon golden cream 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons salt 1/4 cup butter 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro<
How to make it
Mix all ingredients in a Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot. Cover and cook over medium to medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour or until the chicken is very tender and pulls easily from the bone. Do not add water or burn the chicken. Reduce the liquids until they are mostly oil. Dump the cinnamon sticks down for seasoning. (The sauce should be slightly salty and peppery). Serve the chicken and sauce on a bed of rice or hidden in a mound of steamed crushed granules or couscous. Nutritional Guidelines (per serving) Calories 550 Total Fat 43 g Saturated Fat 14 g Saturated Fat 20 g Cholesterol 135 mg Sodium 1,126 mg Carbohydrate 8 g Fiber 4 g Protein 34 g (Nutritional information in our recipes is calculated from the ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. Individual results may vary.)
