Chicken with Dates and Couscous
4 Servings
Preparation Time - 75 Minutes
Ingredients for the Chicken
1 chicken cut into 4-6 pieces
3 tablespoons Barouni oil
2 large onions, sliced
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 good pinch saffron threads
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup of pitted dates
salt and pepper, to taste
Ingredients for the Couscous
2 cups of couscous
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons Barouni oil
Start
preparing the couscous. Combine the salt with 2 cups of warm water. Put
2 cups of couscous in an oven dish. Gradually add the salted water,
stirring continuously so that the couscous absorbs it evenly. Let it
rest for about ten minutes. Stir in the 2 tablespoons of Barouni, and
rub the couscous between your hands above the bowl to air it and break
up any lumps. This is very important, be sure to make it very fluffy
and free of lumps. Set the couscous aside, and begin working on the
chicken.
Separate the chicken into breasts, wings, and legs,
leaving the back for another recipe. (If you aren't familiar with how
to cut a chicken, ask the meat department at your local grocery store
to do it for you.)
Heat the three tablespoons of Barouni
oil in a large pan. Put in the sliced onion, cover, and let them soften
slowly over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the onion is
golden, add the ginger, saffron, and cinnamon, and stir well.
Then
add the chicken pieces, salt and pepper to taste, and brown them
lightly all over. Add 1 cup of water, cover, and cook on medium heat,
turning the chicken a few minutes later.
Preheat the oven, for
the couscous, to 420 degrees. Keep in mind that the breasts will cook
faster than the other pieces, and will need to be removed after 15 - 20
minutes, while the rest of the chicken will require an additional 25
minutes to be cooked.
Put the couscous in the oven just after
you remove the breasts; it should cook for a total of roughly 30
minutes. When all the chicken is done, remove it from the pan. At this
point, add the dates to the sauce, and cook for about 5 minutes,
stirring very gently once or twice.
Make sure that the dates
do not become overcooked, and fall apart. Put the chicken back in the
pan, and heat through. By now, the couscous should be ready. Remove it
from the oven, and serve hot with the chicken.
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