The original recipe is from the Food Network’s on-line recipe resource. When Patty, the Market’s chef, made this recently, she added extra chicken stock to make it into a soup that got rave reviews. She used ground cardamon rather than cinnamon.
The original recipe suggests serving it over orzo pasta. Patty added that to the soup. Another idea is to serve it with cous-cous–either in the soup or as a bed for the thicker stew. Cous-cous is popular throughout North Africa. This recipe makes 6 servings and takes an estimated 40 minutes to prepare.
Ingredients:
2 TBSP flour for dredging chicken
1 1/2 pounds skinless chicken thighs
1 TBSP olive oil
2 red onions, quartered lengthwise and sliced crosswise
2 garlic cloves, chopped fine
1 tsp EACH: cardamon (or cinnamon), ginger, cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
16 oz tomato puree
1/4 c. honey
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 sweet (not hot) peppers, chopped
1/3 c. golden or brown raisins
15 oz. cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained
As a soup: use 1/3 c. cous-cous.
As a stew: serve over: 2 c. cous-cous cooked in 6 c. hot water and topped with 1/3 c. slivered toasted almonds and 3 TBSP parsley leaves.
Method:
Toss flour and chicken in a bag to coat (this is called dredging). In a fry pan, add olive oil, then chicken. Cook until brown, turning once, for about 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Add onion to the fry pan; saute for about 7 minutes. Add garlic and spices, including cayenne; cook 1 minute, stirring so that it doesn’t stick. Stir in tomato, honey, and salt. Add chicken and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Stir in peppers, raisins, and chickpeas and simmer, covered, about 15 minutes.
If making a soup, add cous-cous and 1 c. hot water during the last 5 minutes. Add more liquid if needed.
If making a thicker stew, bring 6 c. of water to a boil while the chicken is cooking. Pour 2 c. cous-cous into a heat-proof serving dish; add boiling water, stir, and cover. Stir again after 2 minutes, replacing the cover. Cous-cous will absorb water and will hold until the chicken is ready. Fluff with a fork just before serving.
Chicken mixture is done when the peppers are tender and the chicken is no longer pink near the bone. Serve stew over cous-cous and top with slivered almonds and parsley leaves.
End the meal with a glass of hot mint tea if you like.