morrocan chicken stew

One of our planned meals this week was the ever-popular Thai chicken lettuce thing for today’s fasting jamboree, or whatever the opposite of jamboree is as not eating doesn’t feel particularly jamboriffic.

Unfortunately for our weight loss, East Sheen’s favourite middle-class haunt has sold out of both turkey and chicken mince AND thai basil, although as we’ve have discovered the latter is hardly essential. ‘No matter’ I thought, I can pick some up on the way home later in the week, apart from the fact there seems to be a poultry mince famine this week, so after idly staring at the empty shelves for a bit I ended up coming home with chicken thighs and chicken breasts. I don’t know why as neither was useful, and as there wasn’t even any beansprouts, I couldn’t make Tom Norrington-Davies’ chicken noodle soup either.

This woolly thinking continues as I struggle to find any inspiration to deal with the mountain of chicken in the fridge, a process further undermined by the lack of at least two crucial ingredients for every meal I want to cook. Eventually we hit paydirt as we do have all we need for the classic Morroccan chicken. Well, except herbs but they only provide an admittedly-tasty gremolata garnish:

I also finished the evening with a spice shopping list so I can deal with tomorrow’s night chicken-y chapter: Chicken Chettinand!
sources
moroccan chicken stew - Delicious, February 2008, p28