North African Chicken Thighs with Dates & Pomegranate Molasses
Chicken is such a popular meat worldwide. The most commonly used parts from the chicken are the breasts, then drumsticks, followed by Wings/Drumettes. The thighs are often overlooked but they shouldn’t be… Thighs with the bone-in and skin on are very tasty and when cooked slowly, release so much flavor! They are also absolutely amazing on the “barbie” – yep BBQ season is coming soon. Meanwhile, here’s a great “indoor” recipe with this protein… my North African Chicken Thighs with Dates & Pomegranate Molasses!
A couple of years ago I bought a tagine on Amazon but not by choice… I just couldn’t wait any longer. My perfect Tagine purchase would’ve been while visiting Morocco so there’d be a story behind it. The only sentimental value, and not really a positive one, I had from it was when I got my VISA statement bill the following month! Anyway being impatient, I conveniently bought it on that site because I wanted to cook several recipes I’ve created in this particular cooking vessel.
One thing about tagines is that they can hold only so much and I found out pretty fast. I had friends coming over for dinner and after thinking about this particular recipe, a Tagine was the way to go… well that’s what I thought. After I started cooking my new creation, I ran out of space. David and I quickly transferred the ingredients into a wider skillet… Phew! The recipe still came out quite scrumptious. The reason I wanted to use a Tagine at first was because I wanted to give my guests a truly North African culinary experience…
All right I went on and on about cooking vessels which is really not what I wanted to talk about. Tagine or not, this North African Chicken Thighs with Dates & Pomegranate Molasses is an awesome recipe! The different flavors combined together give this dish quite a unique taste. As I mentioned at the beginning, the chicken thighs give a delicious taste to this dish.
A few months ago, I posted how to make Pomegranate Molasses and these North African Chicken Thighs are another yummy way to use this extraordinary condiment. The mix of ingredients combines so beautifully, making this exotic dish a must try. Just keep in mind that using a Tagine is awesome but it can only hold so much…
Bon Appétit!
Check out these other amazing chicken recipes…
– Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Garlic Sauce
– Chicken Gyros
– Cognac Chicken Liver Pâté
– Quick & Easy Chicken Chop Suey
– Turkey or Chicken Pot Pie
– Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Pizza
and for even more chicken and poultry recipes, click on this link… Recipe Category • Poultry
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North African Chicken Thighs with Dates & Pomegranate Molasses
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Ingredients
CHICKEN THIGHS
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds tips & tricks
- 6 large chicken thighs
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste (I always use mixed peppercorns)
- ground Himalayan sea salt, to taste
- 1 tbsp. olive oil tips & tricks
- 1 tbsp. clarified butter
- 2 cups white onions, diced
- 3/4 cup carrots, thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup celery, thinly sliced tips & tricks
- 2 large Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 2 tbsp. ras el hanout
- 1 tsp. ground turmeric
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 4 large cloves garlic, pressed
- 1 tbsp. fresh ginger, finely minced
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup pomegranate molasses see Recipe
- 3/4 cup dates such as Medjool, pitted and quartered (about 20 dates)
- 2 tsp. cornstarch (mixed with 1/2 cup cold water)
- 1 tbsp. butter
- fresh chopped parsley, for garnish tips & tricks
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt, as a side
COUSCOUS
- 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/8 tsp. ground Himalayan sea salt
- 1 cup couscous, medium grind
Directions
CHICKEN THIGHS
- In a small skillet, add almonds and sauté until golden, about 5 minutes; set aside.
- Season the chicken thighs with freshly ground black pepper and ground sea salt; set aside.
- In a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat, add oil and clarified butter. When hot, add thighs, skin side down, and cook about 5 minutes on each side.
- Transfer to a plate and remove most of the fat in the pan, keeping about 1 1/2 tbsp.
- Add onions, carrots and celery; sauté for 5 minutes.
- Add chopped tomatoes and sauté for 3 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Add ras el hanout, turmeric, cayenne pepper, garlic and ginger; sauté for 1 ½ minutes. Pour in the chicken broth and pomegranate molasses; cook for 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning if needed. Add dates and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Place thighs back in the pan, skin side up, cover and transfer to the preheated oven. Cook for 1:30 hours, basting every 20 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the chicken thighs to a plate.
- Add cornstarch mixture and stir until the sauce thickens, about 1 minute. To make the sauce glossy, add butter; stir well.
- Place 1 thigh on a bed of couscous and spoon the sauce over. Sprinkle on almonds and parsley. Serve with plain yogurt on the side.
COUSCOUS
- 15 minutes before the end of cooking, start boiling the chicken broth and add a pinch sea salt.
- When boiling, add couscous, stir, cover and remove from the heat. Let it stand for 5 minutes; fluff before serving.
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