Moroccan-Inspired Chicken

A few weeks ago, I purchased chicken legs on sale at Hannaford. I know chicken can be prepared about ten thousand different ways, but I also know it's easy to fall into a flavor rut when you find one you really enjoy. Ram and I have been enjoying Spicy Chicken Legs since we first tried them in July, but I wanted to bring something new to the table-- literally. With left-over couscous serving as inspiration (as well as a random bag of raisins in the cupboard, left over from vegetable korma), I decided to attempt chicken legs with a Moroccan flare.

My first step was to determine a flavor profile for my dish. I Googled "traditional Moroccan spices" and discovered that a lot of the flavor comes from basic spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. Armed with this information, I added the spices to my grocery list and committed myself to attempting a new dish.

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I started by removing the skin from the legs. We are not eaters of chicken skin in our house, and there's plenty of nutritional data to support our decision. I patted the legs dry and dusted them with a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and black pepper. I wasn't sure how strong the flavors would be, so I went light on the dusting. In the future, I would lay it on a little thicker.

I heated a tablespoon of oil in a chicken fryer and seared the legs, transferring them to a square baking dish when they attained a nice brown color. I smothered them with a can of tomatoes (no salt added!) and baked them for about thirty minutes. The legs, of course, were juicy (the number one reason to cook with them, as far as I'm concerned), and the flavors were tasty. With the addition of the tomatoes, I think the spices could have been taken up a couple of notches. Ultimately, though, I was satisfied with my experiment.

I do need to be real. I know this was not Moroccan cooking. And, well, since most of us aren't trained chefs, a lot of what we do when we cook international cuisine is to approximate it, to hone in on a dominant flavor (or two) and give it a go. If it tastes good, eat it. If you go on Top Chef, by all means, apprentice under a great international chef. In the meantime, give this Moroccan-inspired chicken-- or another unusual flavor combination-- a whirl with fork in hand.