Moroccan Chicken with Apricot Couscous and Green Olive Sauce in Flat Bread

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

Show: Food 911Episode: Giddy-Up Picnic

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (25)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(25)

Cook Time:
1 hr 10 min
Level:
Intermediate
Yield:
6 servings

Times:

Prep: 45 min
Inactive Prep: 55 min
Cook: 1 hr 10 min
Total:: 2 hr 50 min

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Ingredients

Moroccan Spice Mix:

1 cinnamon stick, chopped in pieces
8 whole cloves
1 teaspoon cayenne
2 teaspoons cumin seed
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1 teaspoon coriander seed
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
11/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon brown sugar

Chicken:

1 (31/2 pound) whole free range chicken
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, halved
1/4 bunch fresh cilantro
1 head garlic
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Apricot Couscous:

1 cup couscous
11/2 cups warm water
10 dried apricots
1/4 cup whole almonds, toasted
2 green onions, green parts only
2 handfuls fresh mint leaves
2 handfuls fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Green Olive Sauce:

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
2 shallots, sliced
1 fresh red chile, halved lengthwise
1/2 pound large green Spanish olives, pitted
1/4 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1/2 lemon, juiced
4 pieces lavosh bread, cut in 1/2

Directions

To prepare the Moroccan Spice Mix for the Chicken: Combine the cinnamon stick, cloves, cayenne, cumin, fennel, coriander, and paprika in a dry skillet over low heat and toast for just a minute to release the fragrant oils; shake the pan so they don't scorch. In a spice mill or clean coffee grinder, grind the toasted spices together, with 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt and the brown sugar. (A word of advice: make sure you thoroughly wipe out your coffee grinder before you make coffee again - Moroccan spices taste great on chicken but horrible with coffee.)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Rinse the chicken with cool water, inside and out, then pat it dry with paper towels. Massage the chicken skin with the spice rub; make sure you don't miss a spot. Season the inside of the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Stuff the lemons halves, cilantro, and garlic in the cavity and place the chicken in a roasting pan fitted with a rack. Fold the wing tips under the bird and tie the legs together with kitchen string. Drizzle the oil all over the chicken. If you have time, let the chicken marinate for 30 minutes to really get the flavors down deep into the meat. Roast the chicken for 1 hour; pop an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh; if it reads 160 degrees F, it's done. Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes so the juices can settle back into the meat. Remove and discard the skin from the chicken. Pull the chicken from the bone and shred the meat, with your fingers or 2 forks. Put the shredded chicken in a large bowl and squeeze the lemon halves that have cooked inside the bird over the meat to moisten.

To prepare the Apricot Couscous: Put the couscous in a medium bowl; pour the water over it, stir with a fork to combine. Cover and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes, then uncover and fluff with a fork. Put the apricots, almonds, green onions, mint, and cilantro on a cutting board and coarsely chop everything up; add this to the couscous. Add lemon juice, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine.

To prepare the Green Olive Sauce: In a small skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Saute the shallots and chile over low heat for 8 minutes until caramelized, then scrape into a food processor. Add the olives, parsley, vinegar, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup of oil; puree a good 3 minutes until totally smooth.

To put the whole thing together: put the shredded chicken and couscous on the lavosh bread, add a few spoonfuls of the olive sauce, and roll the sandwich up. Wrap in foil and take the sandwich to a picnic, if desired.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Moroccan Chicken with Apricot Couscous and Green Olive Sauce in Flat Bread
Sufia cerritos, CA 06-28-2009
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I am reviewing the spice blend
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This was AMAZING! I used the spice blend then added olive oil, minced garlic, juice of a lemon and a dallop of good yogurt... and smothered 4 cubed chicken breasts with it. I grilled the cubes on skewers and served with hummus. There are no words to describe what this combination of spices tastes like. So tangy, sweet, spicy and full. Read more
recipe Moroccan Chicken with Apricot Couscous and Green Olive Sauce in Flat Bread
Scott Chicago, IL 05-16-2009
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What Flavor and fun to make!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

We have been cooking Tyler Style for a couple of years now. After watching this recipe being made this week my partner and I... did not deviate from anything and had a great time making the spices and smelling them right after grinding and we knew the dinner was going to be fantastic! This is a good recipe to make as a team in the kitchen - and a great one to eat! Kurt & Scott - Chicago, ILRead more
recipe Moroccan Chicken with Apricot Couscous and Green Olive Sauce in Flat Bread
Anne Redondo Beach, CA 03-13-2009
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revision
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Since I am often cooking for one I need to change recipes to suit....this one was easy. First I made a Tabouleh recipe I had,... I saved the squeezed lemon and after I had marinated a large double chicken breast with the dry rub for about 3 hours- I cut the 2 lemon halves in half again and then placed the breast on top of the lemon slices to keep the breast moist. I baked it in the oven and served it with the olive spread and the Tabouleh recipe - amazing flavors!Read more
recipe Moroccan Chicken with Apricot Couscous and Green Olive Sauce in Flat Bread
Nancy Gallatin, TN 02-02-2009
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Moroccan chicken
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

My husband made this the other night. I was out of this world! What incredible favor combinations. We pre heated a cast iron... skillet to weight the chicken down with in stead of a brick. It worked out perfect. I can't wait for him to make it again. Thanks Tyler, your the best! Nancy Gibson, Gallatin, Tn.Read more
recipe Moroccan Chicken with Apricot Couscous and Green Olive Sauce in Flat Bread
Kiana Bar Harbor, ME 01-04-2009
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This menu rocked mine and everyone else's socks!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I saw this episode so I followed the way that it was done on T.V. and not the way the recipe is laid out on the website. I... did change the couscous recipe by using large Israeli couscous instead and I toasted them before cooking, which turned out awesome. I love the apricot and nut combo as it really added depth and texture. Anyway I make this recipe when my mother in-law comes to visit and let's just say that I have a content mother in-law :) This menu is exploding with flavor and I always love making it. If you are a gourmet, cooking this is a real treat. I made a chicken stock from the bird carcasses after we were done, with typical stock ingredients and it turned out delicious. (I made a spiced chicken noodle soup from the stock.) It was a great way to enjoy a foodie inspired menu but stretch my dollar afterwards. Molto Buona Tyler!Read more
recipe Moroccan Chicken with Apricot Couscous and Green Olive Sauce in Flat Bread
Charles Yonkers, NY 09-03-2008
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A note on the couscous.
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I only made the couscous from this episode. It was absolutely delicious, but a word of warning: like most recipes on this... site, it doesn't follow what was made on the show. You'd be much better off following that than what they present here. I first made the couscous as it's written here and it was bland. Then I made it as Tyler made it on the show and it was great. I notice that most recipes on this site do not follow the way the hosts make them on their TV shows and I invariably like the hosts' take better. (The main difference was adding a red onion, sauteing the onion and apricots together, and using chicken stock instead of water.)Read more