MOROCCAN CHICKEN WITH CAULIFLOWER COUSCOUS

Whenever I’m missing high-carb rice, I turn to cauliflower ‘couscous’ – it’s very tasty, easy to make and goes brilliantly with all sorts of main courses. Here, I pair it with moroccan chicken, which I fry really hard initially, to give it that moreish crispness. This dish is good warm or cold, so it’s ideal for a substantial packed lunch the next day too.

INGREDIENTS

SERVES: 4

4 tbsp olive oil

8 large free-range chicken thighs, skinned and de-boned

2 onions, diced

4 garlic cloves, grated

4cm knob of fresh ginger, grated

2 tsp ras el hanout

2 tsp salt

1 tsp cracked black pepper

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground turmeric

400ml chicken stock

1 preserved lemon, chopped

1 tbsp clear honey

For the cauliflower cous cous:

1 cauliflower (about 600g)

½ bunch of flat-leaf parsley (about 15g)

½ bunch of mint (about 15g)

½ bunch of coriander (about 15g)

150g blanched hazelnuts, toasted until golden and roughly crushed

2 tomatoes, cored, deseeded and diced

1 red onion, very finely diced

4 tbsp good-quality extra virgin olive oil

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Thick yoghurt, to serve

METHOD

1: Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed sauté pan or flameproof casserole over a medium heat. Fry the chicken thighs in batches, flat side down, for 15 minutes until browned and crisped underneath. Remove from the pan; set aside.

2: Reduce the heat and add the onions, garlic and ginger to the pan. Stir to mix in any crisp bits from the chicken and sauté gently until softened, about 10–15 minutes. Stir in the ras el hanout, salt, cracked pepper, cinnamon and turmeric.

3: Return the chicken to the pan. Stir in the stock, preserved lemon and honey. Increase the heat a little and bring to a simmer. Cook until the stock has reduced right down and the chicken is nicely glazed. Remove from the heat; set aside.

4: While the chicken is cooking, preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. For the couscous, break the cauliflower into florets and blitz in a food processor until it resembles couscous. Spread out on a baking tray and roast to dry out for 15–20 minutes, giving it a stir halfway through. Leave to cool on the tray.

5: Discard any tough stems from the parsley, mint and coriander and then roughly chop the herbs. Tip into a large bowl.

6: Add the cauliflower couscous to the herbs, along with all the remaining ingredients, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Toss well to combine. Serve the chicken with the cauliflower couscous and thick yoghurt.

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