Mediterranean Chicken Bake

Perhaps I should be renaming this blog the Chickenrecipes blog. Yes we sure do eat a lot of chicken and I sure do like to share the love of chicken. I've never been a big red meat eater nor an adventurous home cooke when it comes to red meat. I can cook a million ways with mince, a good lamb roast and steak exactly the way my husband likes it but it is clear I find myself attracted to that white meat goodness of a chicky. So yes, here is yet another. I seriously thought I had posted this before. Perhaps I have and not linked to it. It wouldn't surprise me given the way my brain functions now that I am approaching the big 40. This one is something we all love love love during the winter months and is equally as nice in the summertime with a good salad.

What do I need to go shopping for?

Olive oil
6 chicken drumsticks
6 thighs (both with skin on)
1 kg baby potatoes cut in half (any good baking potato will do though just need to chop up in quarters)
2-3 ripe tomatoes diced up - or a tin of diced tomatoes works equally as well
Kalamata olives - 1/2 cup to as many as you love to squeeze in if you're like me and LOVE olives.
1/2 cup dry white wine (woohoo wine with dinner tonight)
2 - 3 cloves of garlic sliced up
2 sprigs of rosemary - removed from the stem - no need to chop up.
Freshly ground s&p

How do I make this dish of yumminesss?

Preheat your oven to 200oC
In a heavy based saucepan heat up some oil and brown the chicken all over. You'll need to do it in batches as we don't want to crowd up the pan. Remove from pan and set aside covered with foil - I pop mine straight into the large oven oblong roasting dish I have.
Do the same with the potatoes..get them nice and browned.
Add them to the roasting tray as well.
Top the chicken and potato with the tomatoes, olives and rosemary, pour the wine over the top, season with salt and pepper and bang it in the oven for 45 minutes or so.
Serve with greens and enjoy!

Chicken Tagine

Yes yes I know. It's been a while. I have no idea why I neglect maintaining something I am passionate about except to say that it is life that just whizzes by with such an intensity I often find myself too mentally exhausted for anything. Anyhoo.. I'm really going to try hard to keep this up this time as I miss it and I need something to distract me from stresses at home at the moment. So I thought I would share this chicken tagine recipe I found at www.lifestylefood.com.au by Neil Perry. You really don't need a tagine for a successful result but I was given one recently and it turned out so beautifully and has quickly become one of our favourite dishes!

The list of bits and bobs you need:

Chermoula Paste
2 Spanish Onions
5 Garlic cloves (mmmm garlic)
1 lemon juiced
1 bunch of continental parsely
1 bunch coriander
sea salt
Cumin Powder
Chilli powder
Turmeric powder (all to taste)

Tagine
1 whole chicken chopped into saute style pieces - now if you're like me and can't be bothered and/or want to involve the extra fat content from having the skin just buy 1.2 kilos or so of skinless thigh fillets (I like on the bone as they are cheaper and I just like the meat to be on the bone for stew type of meals).
1 Spanish Onion chopped in to 6
2 carrots chopped into large pieces
1 small yam chopped into large pieces
2 tablespoons honey
Handful of black olives
1 preserved lemon finely chopped (I use a morroccan kind that is made locally here in Tassie and it is divine)
Water or stock ( I use stock)
8 fresh dates stone removed and chopped if you like (I have made this without as well and it was still just as nic)

How to...

Make the chermoula by placing all the ingredients into a food processor and blend. If you have a food processor like mine, jam something into the little part that makes it work because it was previously broken and you're too stingy to buy a new one.
Marinate the chicken well with the paste (leave for a couple of hours or overnight)
Heat olive oil in the pan (heavy based one). Add the chicken and saute a couple of minutes colouring well on all sides.
Add the honey, vegetables, olives and preserved lemon and mix well.
Add enough stock or water to cover the chicken and veggies and braise until the chicken is cooked through and veggies are soft. I cover with my tagine lid, turn it right down to low and leave it for at least an hour or more.
Add the dates and serve with steamed couscous.

Thanks Neil for a wonderful evening meal!!! :-)