Moroccan Spiced Chicken

Barbecue tested, at home approved. Simple comfort food with an exotic flare.

Made with pantry basics - Ground spices. Fresh herbs. Greek style yogurt.

And a food mantra for life:

TAKE THE TIME TO BRINE.

The benefits of added flavor and moisture which comes from even the simplest brine cannot be overstated. If you’re unfamiliar with the method, here’s ours:

1/2 gallon cold water (tap is fine)

1/4 cup salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 cinnamon stick

1 lemon

6 garlic cloves, crushed

1 handful fresh flat leaf parsley

Stir all of the ingredients together in a large, deep pot. Add your poultry. It should be completely submerged in the brine, and you can add more water if needed. Put the pot in the fridge for an hour.

Now you have plenty of time to make a spice mix and a yogurt sauce.

It’s easy. We promise.

Moroccan Spice Mix

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

Mix the ground spices together in a small bowl. You can store any leftovers in a sealed container for later use. Easy. Awesome.

Cucumber Dill Yogurt Sauce

1/2 cup Greek style yogurt

1/2 cucumber, finely diced

1 handful fresh dill

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

1/4 teaspoon honey

Salt

Pepper

In a small mixing bowl, stir the yogurt, cucumber, dill, and lemon juice until thoroughly combined. Add honey, salt, and pepper to taste. We dig the tartness of Greek style yogurt, so a 1/4 teaspoon of honey did us fine. You can also add a spot of water if you prefer a thinner sauce.

If you’re still waiting for your brine, this is a great time to prep a side veggie or salad. We went with fresh string beans tonight. Blanched. Sautéed in olive oil. Salt. Pepper. Simple.

Now, back to the brine.

After an hour has passed, rinse your brined poultry under cold water. Pat dry with paper towels, and for this particular recipe, set aside 2 chicken breasts on wax paper or a large plate. Properly store any additional meat in the fridge or freezer.

Moroccan Spiced Chicken

(serves 2 hungry people)

Rub brined chicken breasts with Moroccan Spice Mix (recipe above) until thoroughly coated. Grill chicken on the barbecue for approximately 15 minutes, more or less depending on size. Enjoy the enticing aromas of smoking spices – they’re lovely! If you don’t have a barbecue, pan fry the chicken breasts to get a nice, crisp sear. Finish by baking in the oven at desired temperature and time, again both dependent on the size of your chicken.

Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes. Slice it nice before plating, and drizzle the finished chicken with Cucumber Dill Yogurt Sauce (recipe above). Serve with your favorite sides – we chose cheesy garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed string beans.

Note, we grilled 2 chicken breasts and had an entire breast leftover after enjoying our meal. This made for a phenomenal Moroccan Spiced Chicken Salad! Dice the chicken, add some of the leftover yogurt sauce and mayo, perhaps some diced celery if you’re into that sort of thing, and VOILA! Delicious leftovers for lunch!

Bil-hana wa ash-shifa!