Moroccan style grilled chicken with onion, chickpeas and apricot sauce served with couscous

The combination of the flavours in this recipe will blow your mind. The chermoula gives the chicken a superb taste that goes very well with the sweetness of the onions and apricot. And to finish I served my chicken on a bed of saffron couscous. Just yummy.
Servings 4
Prep Time 50 mins
Cook Time 1 hr 30 mins

Ingredients

  • 8 medium Chicken drumsticks or legs
  • 1 medium Can of chickpeas
  • 3 medium Onions
  • 1 cup Diced apricots
  • 400 g Couscous
  • 1 medium Lemon juice
  • 1/4 tsp Saffron
  • 1 tsp Turmeric
  • 1 handful Fresh coriander
  • 1 handful Fresh parsley
  • 3 clove Garlic
  • 1 tsp Ginger (powder)
  • 1 tsp Harissa
  • 1 tbs Tomato paste
  • 1 tsp Salt to taste
  • 1/2 tsp Black pepper
  • 3 tbs Olive oil
  • 2 tbs Butter
  • 1 tbs Honey

Instructions

  • Wash your chicken with salt and vinegar, rinse it with fresh water, then dry it with paper towel.
  • In a mortar or blender, add the garlic, the chopped parsley, coriander, salt, turmeric, pepper, lemon juice, ginger, harissa, tomato paste and 2 tbsp of olive oil. Blend and transfer to a bowl.
  • Marinade your chicken with the chermoula mixture. Rub it well under the skin of the chicken as well. Better to let it marinade the whole night .
  • Then bake it until it is golden brown in a preheated oven at 180C. First cover with foil or parchment paper for 45 minutes, then uncover for the last 15 minutes.
  • For the sauce, slice your onions half moon shape, add to a large pan with 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of butter. Let it cook on a medium low heat for 5 minutes.
  • Add a bit of salt, 1 tbsp honey and 1/2 tsp turmeric. Stir and add the apricots.
  • Cook for another 10 minutes then add the chickpeas. You can add 3 tbsp of water if needed but not too much. The onions, the apricots and chickpeas have to be jammy. So be patient and cook on a low heat.
  • For the couscous, in an oven dish, add the couscous, the saffron and 1 tbsp of vegetable oil. Mix well then cover the couscous with boiling water. Sprinkle some salt and cover with foil for 5 minutes.
  • Mix the couscous lightly with a fork, add 1 tbsp of butter. Cover again and stick the couscous tray in the oven for 15 minutes. Your couscous will be fluffy and yummy.
  • Serve your chicken in a bed of couscous, onion, apricot and chickpeas sauce and enjoy. This dish goes very well with a full bodied red wine, or mint tea, if you are alcohol free.