Moroccan Roast Chicken with Couscous Stuffing
Photography by Aaron McLean.
Serve this spice rubbed chicken with roasted baby carrots for a delicious, but simple dinner.
Serves: 4–6
INGREDIENTS
1 free-range chicken
¼ cup melted butter
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 lemon, halved
Couscous
1 cup instant couscous
finely grated zest and juice 1 orange
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1½ teaspoons each ground cumin and coriander
12 dried dates, finely chopped
½ cup chopped roasted almonds
1 cup boiling water or chicken stock
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180˚C.
Couscous: Combine all the ingredients in a heat-proof bowl and season with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and leave for 10 minutes. Uncover and fluff up with a fork then divide in half, using half for stuffing the chicken and reserving the other half for serving.
Chicken: Rinse the chicken inside and out with cold water then dry well with kitchen towels.
Spoon the couscous into the cavity of the chicken then place half a lemon inside to block the cavity and prevent the stuffing from falling out. Tie the legs together loosely with kitchen string.
Combine the butter, paprika and turmeric in a bowl and brush all over the chicken then season with salt and pepper.
To cook: Place the chicken in a roasting dish and pour ½ a cup of water into the base. Add the other lemon half and roast for 1½ hours, basting with the pan juices every 20 minutes and turning the pan for even browning. Test for readiness by inserting a skewer into the thickest part of the thigh – the juices should run clear without any trace of pink.
Rest the chicken loosely covered for 10 minutes before transferring to a platter and carving. Squeeze over the roasted lemon and serve with the reserved couscous.
Cook’s tip: It’s important to divide the couscous before stuffing the chicken or you risk contaminating all the couscous with raw chicken juices while spooning it into the cavity.
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