Oven-roasted chicken
Many of you have asked me for recipes for tajines and Moroccan dishes. After the lamb tajine with prunes and almonds, here’s another popular Moroccan dish: roast chicken. What makes this roast chicken so special is the creamy sauce that accompanies it, and the fact that it’s first cooked before being roasted in the oven.
In fact, the chicken are cooked in the marinade with which they have been coated, resulting in spicy, tender meat.
Before I tell you more about my Moroccan-style roast chicken recipe, you may have noticed that I haven’t done much baking this summer. The heat makes time in the kitchen hard to bear.
However, I filled my time by reading pastry books, articles on dietetics, and looking for inspiration on the internet for my future recipes. In particular, I was looking for Halloween recipes recipes, as I haven’t suggested any yet. I found a lot of interesting ideas on the previous site.
DJAJ BDGHMIRA
I’m also taking advantage of this little break to lose a little weight and resume my morning walk by the sea. It feels really good.
I’m trying to eat more salads, small vegetable-based dishes that provide vitamins without being too high in calories, such as carrots marinated in chermoula, grilled bell pepper salad, ratatouille ratatouille, tchouktchouka, eggplant caviar etc… These little salads go very well with today’s recipe for roast chicken. Eat light and protein-packed without spending hours in the oven!
I also replaced the desserts, flans, entremets and chocolate cakes with seasonal fruit. However, since I read that eating fruit at the end of a meal is a bad idea and that it’s better to eat it before or a few hours after meals, I eat more in the morning or for a snack.
Roast chicken
Jaj mhamer, which means roast chicken in Moroccan, is a very popular dish in Morocco. It is prepared for ceremonies such as weddings and christenings. for entertaining guests or as a family dish. Moroccan-style roast chicken is the most economical dish for large ceremonies, which makes it very popular.
The unctuous sauce with which it is covered “daghmira” gives it an incomparable flavour. During cooking, the scent of mixed spices, saffron, cinnamon, rancid butter, ginger etc… are exquisite and whet our appetites.
| Daghmira is the creamy sauce that accompanies roast chicken. It’s made with chopped onions, spices, preserved lemon, garlic, coriander and chicken giblets. Leave to reduce to a smooth sauce. |
You can make this roast chicken with olives and preserved lemon. Simply replace the almonds with pitted green olives or purple olives. Cook the olives for 5 min in a saucepan with a little chicken sauce and a lump of sugar.
If you like Moroccan cuisine, you have :
Mini pastillas with chicken and almonds
Patillas mhencha en escargot
Msemens, flaky skillet flatbread
Ingredients:
Table of Contents
NB: Find the printable recipe card at the end of the article.
- 2 chickens, about 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs) each, more or less
- 1/2 preserved lemon with pulp, chopped
- 2 glasses of water ( 350 ml / 12 oz)
- 1/2 glass olive oil (80 ml/ 2.7 oz)
- Tip of a teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander
- 2 large onions, chopped
- 1/3 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ginger powder
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon saffron pistils
- 1 teaspoon food coloring (faux saffron) (optional)
- Giblets from both chickens
Optional spices:
- Tip of a spoonful of chicken spice. These spices include Jamaican pepper (nwiwira), cardamom (qaaqlla) and mace (bssibissa).
- 1/2 teaspoon rancid butter (smen) gives a very good taste but is optional
Accompaniments :
- 150 g (5.3 oz) blanched, oven-roasted almonds or stoneless green or purple olives.
- 1/2 preserved lemon, pulp removed
Preparation steps :
1/ Peel the almonds
1. Cover the almonds with water in a saucepan and bring to the boil 2 min more or less. Take an almond and see if rubbing it with your fingers will remove the skin easily.
2. Rinse in cold water and trim. Leave to dry for a few minutes and brown in a preheated oven at 160°C (320°F) for fifteen minutes. You can also brown them in an oil bath over low heat.
2/ Cleaning the chicken
1. Clean chicken thoroughly remove the core and rub it all over with half a lemon. Leave the chickens in water with a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice and a tablespoon of salt for around 20 minutes. You can clean them the day before and store them in the refrigerator.
2. Cut necks and giblets into small pieces.
3. Rinse and drain.
3/ Prepare the chicken marinade “la chermoula” to impregnate the chickens.
1. Soak saffron pistils in 2 tablespoons water.
2. Place the oil, chopped preserved lemon halves, spices, rancid butter, chopped garlic cloves and coriander in a dish. Pour over the saffron pistils previously soaked in water. Mix well.
3. Coat the chickens with this “chermoula” marinade on all sides, under the skin of the breast (belly) and inside.
4. Cross the drumsticks of each chicken and tie them together to hold them during cooking.
For even tastier chicken, marinate for at least 2 hours in the fridge before cooking.
Moroccan-style chicken cooking:
1. Place the chickens in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Pour a little water into the dish containing the marinade and pour into the stewpot.
2. Turn the chicken every 2 minutes to allow all sides to color.
3. Pour in the two glasses of water and leave the chickens on their stomachs (breast side down).
4. Add the chopped onions to the sauce, along with the giblets, cut into small pieces (about 2 cm).
5. Cover halfway and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hours depending on the size of the chicken. From time to time, pour a little sauce over the top of the chickens. Add a little water if necessary before the end of cooking.
6. Check for doneness after 45 minutes. A skewer pricked into the chicken breast should penetrate the flesh easily. You should feel that it’s cooked.
7. Once the chicken is cooked, turn off the heat and leave to cool a little so that you can remove the chickens easily.
8. Drain chickens well before placing on a platter.
9. Return the pot to the heat to reduce the sauce. The sauce should become very smooth.
5/ How to roast chickens in the oven
1. About thirty minutes before serving, preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F) in fan-assisted mode. Static heat is also suitable.
2. Butter a baking tin and place the chickens on top. Coat with soft butter and bake for 25 minutes, more or less, until golden brown.
6/ How to serve oven-roasted chicken
1. Place the chickens on a serving platter and remove the threads with which you attached the drumsticks.
2. You can serve them Moroccan-style, pouring the hot sauce all around. Place a little sauce with the giblets on top of the roast chickens.
3. Sprinkle with toasted almonds or olives and decorate with thin slices of preserved lemon peel.
4. Alternatively, serve the chickens in one dish, with the sauce and almonds on the side. Everyone will help themselves. You can also serve French fries directly in the dish or on plates.
Moroccan oven-roasted chicken (djaj daghmira)
Ingredients :
- 2 chickens about 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs) each, more or less
- 1/2 preserved lemon with pulp chopped
- 2 glasses of water (350 ml / 12 oz)
- 1/2 glass olive oil (80 ml/ 2.7 oz)
- Tip of a teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander
- 2 large onions chopped
- 1/3 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ginger powder
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon saffron pistils
- 1 teaspoon food coloring faux saffron (optional)
- Giblets from both chickens
Optional spices:
- Tip of a spoonful of chicken spice. These spices include Jamaican pepper nwiwira, cardamom (qaaqlla) and mace (bssibissa).
- 1/2 teaspoon rancid butter smen gives a very good taste but is optional
Accompaniments :
- 150 g 5.3 oz blanched, oven-roasted almonds or stoneless green or purple olives.
- 1/2 preserved lemon pulp removed
Instructions :
Peel the almonds
- Cover the almonds with water in a saucepan and bring to the boil 2 min more or less. Take an almond and see if rubbing it with your fingers will remove the skin easily.
- Rinse in cold water and trim. Leave to dry for a few minutes and brown in a preheated oven at 160°C (320°F) for fifteen minutes. You can also brown them in an oil bath over low heat.
Cleaning the chicken
- Clean chicken thoroughly remove the core and rub it all over with half a lemon. Leave the chickens in water with a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice and a tablespoon of salt for around 20 minutes. You can clean them the day before and store them in the refrigerator.
- Cut necks and giblets into small pieces.
- Rinse and drain.
Prepare the chicken marinade "la chermoula" to impregnate the chickens.
- Soak saffron pistils in 2 tablespoons water.
- Place the oil, chopped preserved lemon halves, spices, rancid butter, chopped garlic cloves and coriander in a dish. Pour over the saffron pistils previously soaked in water. Mix well.
- Coat the chickens with this "chermoula" marinade on all sides, under the skin of the breast (belly) and inside.
- Cross the drumsticks of each chicken and tie them together to hold them during cooking.
- For even tastier chicken, marinate for at least 2 hours in the fridge before cooking.
Moroccan-style chicken cooking:
- Place the chickens in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Pour a little water into the dish containing the marinade and pour into the stewpot.
- Turn the chicken every 2 minutes to allow all sides to color.
- Pour in the two glasses of water and leave the chickens on their stomachs (breast side down).
- Add the chopped onions to the sauce, along with the giblets, cut into small pieces (about 2 cm).
- Cover halfway and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hours depending on the size of the chicken. From time to time, pour a little sauce over the top of the chickens. Add a little water if necessary before the end of cooking.
- Check for doneness after 45 minutes. A skewer pricked into the chicken breast should penetrate the flesh easily. You should feel that it's cooked.
- Once the chicken is cooked, turn off the heat and leave to cool a little so that you can remove the chickens easily.
- Drain chickens well before placing on a platter.
- Return the pot to the heat to reduce the sauce. The sauce should become very smooth.
How to roast chickens in the oven
- About thirty minutes before serving, preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F) in fan-assisted mode. Static heat is also suitable.
- Butter a baking tin and place the chickens on top. Coat with soft butter and bake for 25 minutes, more or less, until golden brown.
How to serve oven-roasted chicken
- Place the chickens on a serving platter and remove the threads with which you attached the drumsticks.
- You can serve them Moroccan-style, pouring the hot sauce all around. Place a little sauce with the giblets on top of the roast chickens.
- Sprinkle with toasted almonds or olives and decorate with thin slices of preserved lemon peel.
- Alternatively, serve the chickens in one dish, with the sauce and almonds on the side. Everyone will help themselves. You can also serve French fries directly in the dish or on plates.
I hope you enjoy this Moroccan dish of roast chicken with its creamy preserved lemon sauce, and that you’ll want to make it yourself.