Today continued to be wet and rainy. Heatho was at his mums this weekend, so Ben and I woke up late... and stayed in bed half the day. It was heaven. We lit the fire, watched movies and achieved very little. I did manage to squeeze in a half an hour "Latino zumba class" (dont ask) - via zoom with my friends, and it made me feel like i'd achieved something at least. Ben seemed to think this was extremely entertaining as I flapped around the living room while he sat on the couch.
More cold weather called for the fire to be lit to keep the house warm and toasty, and I decided something bone warming and delicious should be had for lunch.
This was a dish I had years and years ago, I actually think it was long before I had even met Ben. My family and I went up to Healesville Hotel for lunch, and this was on the menu. A few of us ordered it, and it was so delicious we all talked about it long after we'd left. A few months later, lone behold, an interview with the head chef of Healesville Hotel popped up in a magazine, and the recipe he decided to share was Syrian Chicken, big win for us as we have made it many times since.
Anyone who has been to the shops recently will know finding pasta, flour or cous cous on the shelves at the moment is like finding a golden nugget at Sovereign Hill... I will let you all in on a little secret of mine. In Healesville, attached to Healesville Hotel in-fact and run by the same people, there is a shop called Kitchen and Butcher. I love this place a great amount, and I know they always stock pearl cous-cous which I needed for this recipe. I headed there this morning in hopes they would have some for me to quickly pick up, sure enough they did, along with lost of pasta, flour and yeast, but dont tell everyone ;). This incredible shop sells the most amazing local produce, take home cooked meals, gourmet yummy sauces and all the delicious things you cant usually find in big chain supermarkets even on a good day. They also have a big copper cheese cabinet and they sell my favourite cheese of all time... its called "Brillat Savarin a la truffe" and its basically like a d'affinois filled with a layer of truffle inside, its my best kept secret and it will make your cheese platter shit all over everyone else's every single time.
Anyway, back to this recipe, its fairly quick, and pretty easy to make and packs big flavour. Those who know me well, know I tend to make lots of noises when i'm eating something I love. "MMMM, MMMMM, MMMMM!!!!" - This is one of those dishes that has me chiming all the way to the last scoop.
Syrian Chicken
Ingrediants Serves 4
1 1/2 tsp each ground cumin and ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground turmeric 8 chicken thigh fillets 2 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, thinly sliced 4cm piece ginger, grated 3 garlic cloves, crushed 1 long red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped 400g can chopped tomatoes 1 cup (250g) chicken stock Small pinch saffron threads 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted 3 thyme sprigs 1/3 cup (50g) currants (I dont add these because I have a weird thing about meat and fruit together) 1/4 bunch each coriander leaves and mint leaves, roughly chopped Zest and juice from 1 lemon Moghrabieh (giant Lebanese couscous/Pearl Cous Cous), cooked to packet directions Thick Greek-style yoghurt, to serve
Method
1. Preheat oven to 180ºC (160ºC fan). Prep all your ingredients, then combine the cumin, cinnamon and turmeric in a bowl. Season, then add chicken and toss to coat.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a casserole dish over med-high heat. Add half the chicken and cook, turning, for 5 mins or until golden. Remove and set aside. Repeat with remaining 1 tbsp oil and chicken.
3. Add onion to casserole dish over medium heat and cook for 2 mins or until softened. Add ginger, garlic and chilli, then cook for a further 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add tomato, stock, saffron, cumin seeds and thyme, then cook, scraping bottom of pan with a spoon, for 2 mins,
4. Return the chicken to the casserole dish, then cover and transfer to the oven. Cook for 35 mins or until chicken is cooked through and tender. Cook your moghrabieh/ cous-cous in chicken stock according to packet instructions.
5. Stir through currants, sprinkle over herbs and lemon zest and juice, then serve with moghrabieh and yoghurt. Serve and enjoy!!
L xx
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