I recently read an article in a magazine about Moroccan Spice Mix, or Ras el Hanout. It’s not an individual new spice you’ve never heard of – it’s a mix of common spices, just like 5 spice powder would be in Chinese cuisine.
Lots of spice make up this Moroccan spice blend
I didn’t want to buy any, so I did what we all do, I googled. I found a huge variety of different mixes, some with a large number of spices, some with just 5 spices. Fromm what I read, the average is 12 different flavors, but some individual recipes may have 100 ! So I picked a middle of the road recipe, one where I had everything on hand, then changed up the ratio of some of the ingredients, and made my own jarful for my spice cabinet.
Of course I wanted to try it right away, so I made chicken thighs using it. So here’s my take on Moroccan Spice Mix and using it with chicken.
Has El Hanout Moroccan Spice Mix
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspons smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked chili pepper or use cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 ⁄2 teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
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mix together well, and store in an airtight container.
Recipe Notes
Sugar is not traditionally used in the mix, so I left it out as well. Many Ras El Hanout blends do include a small amount, and I can see where, when used on the outside of meat, the sugar might help the caramelize meat.
I used a couple tablespoons of the mix for my own chicken thighs, and put the spice bottle into the cabinet for another future use. We like chicken thighs, but you could use on legs or breast meat as well, with or without skin. And although I haven’t tried it yet, Ras El Hanout is reportedly good on meat and fish too.
Fox Pines Moroccan Chicken
Ras El Hanout, a nice warm blend of spices make up this North African spice mix, worked wonderfully on chicken roasted in broth, and made a savory gravy along with the chicken.
Ingredients
- 2-3 tbsp Ras El Hanout
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 medium onion, chopped or thinly sliced
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 6-8 each chicken thighs
- salt and pepper to taste
- cornstarch or potato starch to thicken sauce
- 1-2 tbsp oil for browning chicken, olive or canola is fine
Instructions
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Soak the chicken pieces in the buttermilk for 30 minutes.
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Mix the spice blend with the flour.
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Drain the chicken, and set milk aside. Season with salt and pepper. Put the flour mix into a gallon size plastic bag, and drop in 2 or 3 pieces of chicken at a time. Close up bag and shake or massage so the coating sticks to the chicken.
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Add the oil to dutch oven or large deep frying pan, and heat over medium. When it is hot, drop in the chicken skin side down to brown, then turn over. remove and continue browning in batches.
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When all the chicken is browned, set aside, and add oil as needed to saute the onions. Add the garlic as onions soften, and cook up to a minute. Add the chicken back in, and pour in the chicken stock. It will not cover the chicken.
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Cover and bake in the oven 325F for about 45 minutes, until chicken is well cooked. Remove chicken and keep warm (I put on a baking sheet and back into the warm oven), then simmer the sauce on the stove top, uncovered, to thicken. It will reduce, but if not thick enough use some cornstarch or potato starch slurry (a bit of starch whisked with water) to thicken the sauce.
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Serve with the chicken sitting in the sauce. The sauce is good on pasta, or potatoes, as well as the meat.
chicken legs & thighs ready to cook.
I use a bag to coat the chicken pieces:
coat chicken using a plastic bag for easy clean up