Moroccan-Spiced Chicken

Although not as pretty as my last picture, this one has inner beauty. And inner-yum! I have been picking over my old Gourmet magazines, ripping out the interesting recipes and tossing the rest. I don't want to move heavy recycled paper to a new house, so we're downsizing our written media collections.

KK was craving a really crisp, citrusy Sauvignon Blanc for Saturday, and our cellar is a little low on whites. We did have an Italian Sauvignon Blanc which was quite delightful, along with pan seared Hawaiian marlin (sort of like swordfish). But we had even more delectable designs for Sunday...

We now have a local source for Nora, an Albarino. We actually refer to it as a female named Nora even though it is just a bottle of delicious white wine. We've found Nora to be so flexible, she's fantastic with Middle Eastern food, spicy food, HUMMUS in particular, and simple salads. After finding it locally, we grabbed a couple bottles (I don't want to run out!). I earmarked a new recipe that seemed perfect for Nora, and Sean and I made it Sunday afternoon.

I will say we followed the recipe exactly this time (unusual for me) with the exception of salt. The oil-cured olives added a sophisticated saltiness that was sufficient in the couscous, and Sean salted only one side of the chicken. This was so enjoyable; we will definitely keep this one in rotation.

MOROCCAN-SPICED CHICKEN PAILLARDS
(serves 4)

Sauce ingredients:
1/4 c orange juice
1 T mild honey
1 t fresh lemon juice
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 t dried red pepper flakes
2 T unsalted butter (added late in the game)

Paillards ingredients:
1/2 t ground cumin
1/2 t paprika (not hot)
1/4 t black pepper
2 T olive oil
4 boneless chicken cutlets, or breasts, pounded thin
1 1/4 t salt

Heat grill pan over moderate heat until hot. Meanwhile, simmer all sauce ingredients except butter in a small saucepan, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Set aside.

Cook cumin, paprika and pepper in oil in a small skillet over moderately low heat, stirring until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Brush some of this spiced oil on 1 side of the chicken (2 at a time if you need to), then sprinkle salt on the chicken. Place chicken in grill pan (cooking 2 at a time), oiled side down, then oil and salt the other side. Grill 2 minutes then flip and cook the other side, about 3 minutes more. Repeat with the other two chickens if you didn't have room in the pan the first time. You should use up about all of the oil. Keep the skillet ready for later by NOT WASHING IT. Keep cooked chicken warm on a platter. Microwaves are good for this holding pattern.

Pour sauce through a fine strainer into the reserved skillet, discarding solids. Add any juices from chicken platter if you wish and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, add butter to skillet and swirl to incorporate. Season sauce with salt and pepper and pour over chicken... which is sitting on a plate on top of.....

COUSCOUS WITH OLIVES AND LEMON

1 1/2 t minced garlic
3 T olive oil
1 3/4 c water
1/4 t salt (or not)
1 1/2 c couscous
16 oil-cured black olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
1/3 c chopped parsley
1 1/2 t finely grated lemon zest

Cook garlic in oil in a 2-3 qt saucepan over moderate heat, stirring frequently until golden, about 1-2 minutes. Add water and salt and bring to a boil. Stir in couscous, olives, parsley and zest, then cover pan and remove from heat. Let stand undisturbed for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

This was yummy. I'm having leftovers for lunch with tomatoes.