Always Late to My Own Party (Moroccan Chicken and Lentils)

posted in beans and legumes on Feb 07, 2008

I’m always missing “events” on my blog. I completely forgot about my 100th post. My blogiversary came out of nowhere, so that all I could muster up was a lame post with a stock photo of a lit candle the day after. And now, I have once again wasted my 200th post on something non-food related: the memes below. Of course, I didn’t realize until yesterday that I had 200 posts. D’oh!

But anyway, I’m finally back with something new. It turns out, after 200 posts about food in a little over a year’s time, it starts getting difficult to think of things with which to update your blog; not to mention your husband starts asking things like, “do we ever eat anything twice?” We do, of course! That’s why I haven’t updated my blog. I’ve been making “staples!”

Tonight, I decided to make something with lentils because I was in the mood for a non-carby carb, if that makes sense (No? Well, too bad). It’s nice that lentils are carby without being too caloric. Plus, I never miss rice or pasta when I eat them. They are definitely something I didn’t appreciate until later in life, but I’m glad lentils and I have reconnected.

I’ve been meaning to make something Moroccan-inspired for weeks now and I finally got around to it. Like Greek cuisine, Moroccan food tends to pair meat with sweet flavors, like allspice and cinnamon, which I love. But Moroccan cuisine tends to have a little more heat and smokiness to it. I made the rub for the chicken thighs with things I had on hand but of course you could make your own to suit your tastes (or your pantry). This would be great with some squash or eggplant but since I didn’t have any, I just used some carrots and celery to bulk up the veggies a bit. This was very tasty, filling and really healthy.

Moroccan Chicken with Lentils
Serves 2

1-1/2 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp allspice
4 bone-in skinless chicken thighs
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 small onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
drizzle of balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup lentils, rinsed and picked over
1/4 cup raisins
salt and pepper

Mix the first 7 ingredients, along with some salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Pat dry the chicken thighs and rub each thigh, on both sides, with a quarter of the mixture. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the chicken and brown on both sides. Remove.

To the pan, add the onion and cook until translucent. Stir in the garlic, celery and carrots and saute for an additional minute. Add a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, and scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the tomatoes, chicken broth, bay leaf, lentils, raisins and salt and pepper. Place the chicken thighs on top. Bring the mixture to a simmer and then cover. Simmer for about 25-30 minutes until the lentils are tender and the chicken is cooked through.

Nutritional Info Per Serving (two thighs, based on SparkRecipes; as I have noted before chicken thigh nutritional information is apparently impossible to keep consistent so this could be off). Calories: 395.4 / Fat: 12.7g / Carbs: 36.4g / Dietary Fiber: 7.4g / Protein: 34.6