Moroccan chicken hotpot
Serves 4-5
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Ingredients
Grape seed or rice bran oil, for frying
Olive oil, for cooking
700g – 1kg chicken thighs, boneless & skinless
2 onions, chopped
6 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated or chopped
2 tsp of each: ground coriander, cumin and turmeric
½ tsp each mixed spice, ground white pepper and ground black pepper
¼ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp mild chilli powder (optional)
1 cup chicken stock
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
¾ cup chopped dried apricots or prunes (or both to make up the 3/4 cup)
½ cup Sicilian or Kalamata olive, (optional)
¼ cup tomato paste
1 tbsp honey
Zest of 1 lemon plus 2 tsp juice
Zest of 1 orange plus 2 tsp juice
3/4 cup unsweetened yoghurt (or use coconut cream)
½ cup chopped fresh herbs (e.g. parsley, coriander, mint) plus extra for serving
Couscous or rice, to serve
Method
Preheat the oven to 170c conventional bake.
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season all over with salt and pepper. Heat a splash of rice bran or grape seed oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. When it’s very hot, add the chicken a few at a time and fry until browned both sides (this add great flavour). Transfer to a casserole dish and repeat with the remaining thighs.
Add 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil to the same pan you cooked the chicken over a medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another few minutes. Add the spices and chilli and cook for another few minutes (add 1-2 tbsp more olive oil if it looks dry). Add the stock, tomatoes, dried fruit, olives (if using) tomato paste, honey, lemon zest and juice and orange zest and juice. Stir, turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat.
Carefully add the sauce to the dish with the chicken.
If you’re using fresh coriander at the end (which I highly recommend), finely chop up the stalks and stir through the mixture. Cover with a lid and bake in the oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Stir through the yoghurt or coconut cream and herbs, and season with salt to taste.
Serve the chicken on couscous, quinoa or rice with spoonfuls of the sauce. Garnish with extra zest, yoghurt, herbs and a squeeze of lemon if you like.
This is also lovely with some toasted flaked almonds on top to serve.
Chelsea’s tip
After combining the cooked chicken with the sauce, you can transfer the mixture to a slow cooker and cook for 4-5 hours on low or 2-3 on high – or just until you think it’s ready. Then after you’ve mixed the yoghurt through, bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Wow! Made this tonight for dinner and it was delicious. It will definitely be a regular dinner over the winter months.
This is amazing and has convinced me to buy the book! yum!
Yay x
I live full time ina motor home and I am trying this for the first time today
just wondering if this can be cooked on the stove top instead of the oven? if so how long for? thank you x
Is it okay to use chicken breasts or will they dry out too much?
This is amazing! Would it be ok to freeze once cooked?
This dish is amazing, made it a few times and feel like I need the book where it is from. Can you advise. Love so many of your recipes.
This meal is amazing! I lost this recipe for ages. I am so glad that I found it again. I absolutely love it.
This was delicious!. I love that you can have it all in the oven before your guests arrive. Did 1kg of boneless thighs and there was still plenty of sauce. We used apricots and Sicilian olives, and the yoghurt at end. After reading comments I’d like to try it also with the coconut cream. I suspect both options are great. Served with rice and green beans/courgettes. Next time I might even add the courgettes to the hotpot towards the end of the cook. Thanks Chelsea
Im goin to make this for friends coming for dinner this weekend. Now i hate coriander,can i replace the fresh coriander with another herb? … thanks
Would young kids (2&4) eat this? I really want to make it for hubby and I (hoping the kids will eat it). I hate cooking two meals!
Oh my goodness! We made this using the recipe from Scrumptious which is very slightly different to this version. It was absolutely delicious! We’ll definitely make this again (and again). Yum, yum, yum.
I made this for dinner last night for 3 hoping for leftovers. Unfortunately, the other two went back for seconds & so I missed out on leftovers :(. Yet again you have created a recipe that is easy to follow and absolutely delicious. Thank-you
Delicious Chelsea and so easy
Hello Chelsea, would it work ok if i use coconut milk instead of coconut cream?
What a great recipe! I added mushrooms and courgettes for extra veggies. Will be making this again – thanks :)
Just made this for dinner, it was delish! Perfect amount of heat from the chilli and sweetness from the prunes. We served it with Brown rice and quinoa mix.
ka pai kai!!! it was delicious … first time i ever made a kai with all the spices from scratch … your recipe is da bomb!!
Hi, what can I substitute the chicken for to make it veggie? Thanks Chelsea.
My family does not like prunes or apricots is it necessary to add them or can you suggest a yummy substitute?
You could leave it out, or add raisins?
Hi there – if I change out thighs for drumsticks, do I cook for same time at same temp ? thanks
Hey Chelsea we eat a low carb high healthy fats diet so was wondering if it was possible to leave out the dried apricots? Thanks recipe looks deeeeevine <3
Sure – they are so good though!
I have just made this for dinner and it tastes sooo good (currently finishing my third helping..!) I added coconut cream instead of yoghurt and added a few extra veggies – delicious! Thanks for the recipe Chelsea :)
Hi Chelsea I would like to make this for my family coming for dinner this Thursday 15th Sept and there will be 6 adults and 3 children and I notice it serves 4-5 so my question is “how do I add more ingredients without doubling it and making sure it tastes the same”?
Thanks.
Hi there. Do i need to cook it with a lid on?
Hi Chelsea I’ve made this once before and got rave reviews. Planning to make it again for a family meal – 6 adults + 4 small children. Is 1 kg of chicken enough..or should I add another 500g? Any suggestions as to what veg I should serve it with apart from couscous?
Hi. What can I serve it with? Rice? Risotto? Any suggestions?
Couscous or brown rice would be delicious! Even potato or kumara mash.
I made this yesterday and I sent my partner to work with some for lunch today. I just got a text saying ”that chicken is f****** delicious” (coming from an extremely fussy eater)… so I guess it’s a winner!
I enjoyed making it and eating it
Thank you Chelsea!
When you say chicken thighs, boneless and skinless, do you mean chicken thigh fillets?
Hi chelsea first of all I would like to say I absolutely love your recipes, I’ve just had smoked fish bake for lunch sooo delicious : ) it’s just one of the many chelsea favorites in our household!
I want to make this Moroccan hot pot in my slow cooker, just wondering why it needs to go in the oven after I add the coconut cream? Just thinking it will save dishes if I don’t! Thanks and keep up the good work :)
Have this cooking at the moment for the second time, absolutely loved it the first! Looking forward to dinner :)
I have this cooking at the moment, and Oh My! it smells so good!!
Hi Chelsea,
Would it be ok to get it all ready to put in the oven but wait until the next night to cook it?
Thanks
Yep!
Hi, can you make this up to the stage it needs to be baked in the oven and refrigerate to cook the next day? Thanks
Yep!
Hi Chelsea, I came across your recipes before I had an awesome two week driving holiday in your beautiful country. I have always made a pretty good Moroccon lamb pie but since my stay in NZ I cannot bring myself to cook with lamb since seeing all those gorgeous Spring newborn lambs! I have found an even better replacement with your morrocon chicken which is delicious and a weekly favourite with my family.
Wow this was amazing! My daughter just cooked this meal for us and it was absolutely delicious she used the coconut cream vs yoghurt, another winner that we will definately cook again. Thanks so much.
Hi Chelsea, Just wanted to say this is one of the loveliest chicken recipes I have ever made. I had all the ingredients in the freezer and pantry and will be a repeater in our house. Same goes for your butter chicken and naan. Can’t wait for your new book to arrive in my letter box so I can try out the new recipes. Well done on some amazing recipes :-)
Hi Chelsea,
I don’t try new recipes very often, but since having purchased one of your cookbooks I have tried way more new things. And can I say that I think your Moroccan Chicken hotpot is the best ever. I made it for my extended family the other week and was so stoked with how it came out-I am making it again for my friends who are coming round in a few days. It will now be my go-to chicken dish. Thanks heaps.
Hi Chelsea. Made this recipe in the weekend and the whole family loved it…..great flavour with all those herbs and spices…..it’ll be a keeper!
Hi, I made this in the weekend and it was so delicious!!! I loved all the spices! We used Coconut cream which made it so delicious, I thought it was going to be too spicy ( I have a low tolerance for hot things ) but it was perfect, will definitely be making this again! Thanks Chelsea!
If I want to triple the recipe do I just x everything by 3?
Yes that should be okay – you might need slightly less liquid.
This looks amazing. Could we substitute the chicken for lamb at all?
Not really, as lamb needs a different cooking temp and time.
Hi! I accidentally bought coconut milk, not coconut cream- but I have sour cream in the fridge, would this do instead or 50/50 of each?
Actually 50/50 would be great!
Hi, can you freeze this at all? I’m making it now. Smells amazing!
Yes!
It was yummy!
hi Chelesa is that 3 tsp of cumin, turmine and coriander of each or 1 tsp of each??
If you use the slow cooker for the Moroccan chicken recipe, is it necessary to put it in the oven to finish
Have just popped the dish in the oven and now unsure when to add the herbs.
Do they go with the yoghurt when added or just on top of the dish when serving?
Love your recipes.
Thanks.
Sorry Janine! They get stirred through with the yoghurt and then sprinkled on top as well.
Hi,
Would this be able to be in a crock pot on low for the day?? :) :)
Yes that should be fine :)