Moroccan chicken with carrot salad and couscous

When I was doing the 8 week I Quit Sugar program I decided to share photos of the sorts of meals we were eating.  For CrashHubby and I it wasn’t too difficult to quit sugar as we were already eating a variety of whole and fresh foods in interesting ways, usually inspired by our travels.  Here’s one of the photos I shared of tandoori marinated chicken with carrot salad and couscous.

I love this dish and, inspired by a trip to Tangiers, I also make a Moroccan version which goes really nicely with the carrot salad.  However, I don’t make it that often because it takes a bit of work with the roasting, grinding and mixing of spices for the marinade.

Well, not any more!  I’m taking part in the Gourmet Garden Blog Off/Cook Off competition.  I’ve received some great herbs and spices to bring everyday recipes to life.  I also found out they have a Morrocan Seasoning, so I promptly picked some up so I can turn one of my best Moroccan recipes into an easy everyday favourite.  This is now the yummiest and easiest meal ever.  Seriously, it’s the dinner you cook when you’re not cooking dinner and it’s not another sloppy slow cooker stew.

Moroccan Chicken with carrot salad and couscous

Ingredients

6-8 chicken drumsticks
500g of plain greek-style yoghurt
3 tbsp + 1 tsp Gourmet Garden Moroccan seasoning
1 tsp Gourmet Garden Chilli
1 tsp Gourmet Garden Chunky Garlic
1 1/2 cups couscous
2 3/4 cups boiling water
3 medium carrots, grated
2 tbsp grated cucumber, peeled and de-seeded first
Half a large red capsicum, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
Sliced almonds
Dukkah, to taste

Instructions (the fun ones)

Whilst a little unconventional, this is how I made this meal.  It’s like I’m not making it at all!

Breakfast Time:

Dollop a couple of large tablespoons of plain greek yoghurt into a ramekin, a dollop on your cereal and the rest into an ovenproof dish.

Then squirt a teaspoon of Gourmet Garden Chunky Garlic into the ramekin (not on your cereal) and 3 tablespoons of the Gourmet Garden Moroccan seasoning into the ovenproof dish.

Stir through and add 6-8 chicken drumsticks to the ovenproof dish, coating them in the spiced yoghurt.  Cover both the ramkein and dish and pop into the fridge when you put the milk back ;)

Morning Tea:

When you’re slicing up some vegetable sticks for the kids, keep going and dice up half a capsicum, grate 3 extra carrots and a couple of tablespoons of cucumber.  Put the carrot and capsicum in a bowl with the 50/50 mix of oil and vinegar and spoon the cucumber into the ramekin of garlic yoghurt you prepared at breakfast.  Put everything back in the fridge.

Witching Hour:

Instead of trying to cook dinner with your kids hanging off your legs, get them to help you make biscuits instead.  It’s waaaaay more fun!

Is there a point to this exercise?  Yes, there is.  Once you’ve finished baking the cooling the biscuits, pop the cooling rack onto the biscuit tray.  Take the chicken out of the fridge, remove excess yoghurt and lay them out of the rack.  Into the oven, which is already nice and hot from the biscuits.  Just turn it up to 200 deg C.

Did you see how I saved on extra dishes to wash there?

Now make yourself a cup of tea and pour the rest of the boiling water (2 3/4 cups) into the couscous (1 1/2 cups), stir through a teaspoon of Gourmet Garden Moroccan Seasoning and let it do it’s absorption thing.

Enjoy a biscuit with your cup of tea.

Dinner time:

The chicken will take about 40 minutes to cook.  Turn each drumstick halfway through.

All you need to do is serve a bed of couscous, lay down a couple of drumsticks, mix some sliced almonds through the carrot salad and pile on top, dollop on the garlic and cucumber yoghurt you prepared earlier and sprinkle with some Dukkah to taste.

Ta dah!  The dinner you make without even realising it!

Some variations:

You can add sultanas to the couscous for some extra sweetness, just pour some boiling water over them when you make yourself a cup of tea

You could stir Gourmet Garden Mint or Coriander through the garlic and cucumber yoghurt mix for some added interest