Photography: Alicia Taylor. Styling: Olivia Blackmore.
This aromatic chicken stew is a one-pot wonder that transforms humble chicken marylands into something truly special. The warm baharat spice blend creates incredible depth of flavour, while cherry tomatoes and baby potatoes make it a complete meal.
Ingredients
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Combine baharat, chillies, honey and 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large bowl. Add chicken; turn to coat well. Season.
Heat remaining oil in a large flameproof casserole dish over medium heat. Cook chicken, skin-side down, for 4 minutes, turning, or until just starting to brown. Remove from dish.
Add onion and garlic to dish with ¼ cup (60ml) water; cook, stirring often, for 4 minutes or until onion is soft. Add stock, tomatoes and chicken with any juices. Cover dish, place in oven; cook for 30 minutes. Add potatoes; return to oven, covered, for a further 30 minutes or until chicken and potatoes are tender. Stand chicken stew for 10 minutes.
To serve, top chicken stew with preserved lemon rind, parsley and pistachios, season with salt; serve with yoghurt.
Key ingredients in this chicken stew recipe
Chicken marylands: This flavoursome cut of chicken has the leg and thigh still connected in a single piece, with bones and skin intact.
Baharat: The key flavour in this chicken stew, baharat is the Arabic word for spice. It refers to the complex spice blend that adds a real depth of flavour to many Middle Eastern dishes. Baharat spice blend usually contains black pepper, cumin, coriander, cloves, cardamom, paprika, cinnamon and nutmeg. It is available in Middle Eastern grocery stores and most major supermarkets.
Preserved lemon: A North African specialty; lemons are quartered and preserved in salt and lemon juice or water. To use in this chicken stew recipe, remove and discard pulp. Squeeze juice from rind, then rinse well and slice thinly. Sold in delis and most major supermarkets. Or make your own using this recipe for preserved lemons.
Dried chillies: These add gentle heat and smoky depth to the spice paste. Remove seeds for milder heat or leave them in if you prefer more kick. Available in the spice aisle of most supermarkets.
Cherry truss tomatoes: Sweet and juicy, these small tomatoes hold their shape beautifully during cooking and add bursts of fresh flavour to the rich chicken stew.
Baby potatoes: These small, waxy potatoes are perfect for stews as they hold their shape well and absorb all the delicious flavours while cooking.
Greek yoghurt: Thick and creamy, this provides a cooling contrast to the warm spices. Its tangy flavour perfectly balances the rich, aromatic chicken stew.
Pistachios: Green, delicately flavoured nuts inside hard off-white shells. We use slithered pistachios in this recipe, but if you can’t find them substitute with roughly chopped shelled pistachios.
