← Nouns Cooking · Moroccan

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg chicken pieces
• 2 large onions, grated
• 3 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 tsp Ground ginger
• ½ tsp Ground turmeric
• 1 pinch Saffron, crumbled
• 1 tsp Salt
• ½ tsp Black pepper
• 1 Cinnamon stick
• 400 ml Water
• 150 g Pitted prunes
• 150 g Dried apricots
• 2 tbsp Honey
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp Orange flower water
• 100 g blanched almonds, toasted
• 1 tbsp Sesame seeds, toasted (optional)

Method

1. Put the chicken, onions, oil, ginger, turmeric, saffron, salt, pepper and cinnamon stick in a heavy pot and cook over medium heat for 10 min, turning the pieces, until the onions soften.
2. Add the water, cover and simmer for 35–40 min, turning once, until the chicken is tender and reaches 75°C (165°F).
3. Meanwhile put the prunes and apricots in a small pan with 200 ml water, the honey and ground cinnamon. Simmer for 10–15 min until the fruit is plump and the liquid syrupy, then stir in the orange flower water.
4. Lift the chicken onto a warm dish and boil the onion sauce for 8–10 min until thick and golden.
5. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, arrange the glazed fruit and its syrup on top and scatter with almonds and sesame seeds.

Tips

• Contains almonds and sesame; leave them off for allergies.
• Mqualli is the classic yellow sauce of ginger, saffron and slow-melted onion; it should be thick, never watery.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

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