Roasted Ras el Hanout Chicken

Roasted Ras el Hanout Chicken

Here is a sure fire recipe for a quick summer meal with all the irresistible exotic flavors of North Africa. The complex aromas of a roasting ras el hanout spiced chicken coming out of your kitchen belies the simple preparation of this no fuss meal.

Ras el hanout, meaning top of the shop in Arabic, is a North African spice mix usually associated with Moroccan cooking. Recipes for the mix vary widely as do the quantities of the spices and herbs used in the mix. What I would call essential ingredients include cumin, coriander seeds, cardamom, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, allspice, ginger, ground chile, paprika, turmeric, pepper, and fenugreek. Fortunately ras el hanout is readily available online from various vendors as are recipes if you want to try making your own mix. That said, a friend of mine gave me a tin of Tesco’s Ras el Hanout which I used for this recipe with, I must say, awesome results. So don’t be shy about buying ras el hanout as home cooks do the same in local markets across North Africa.

Preparation is minimal. Marinate the chicken in a mixture of lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt and chopped coriander leaves for several hours. Massage the chicken with a generous amount of ras el hanout spice mix. Roast in the oven for an hour and that’s all there is to it.

I like serving ras el hanout chicken, as pictured, with grilled and fire roasted seasonal vegetables (see recipe here) drizzled with hummus sauce (see recipe here), Greek yogurt, and pomegranate syrup. 
A simple warm bulgur pilaf, or couscous, as a side nicely soaks up the spice laced pan juices from the roasted ras el hanout chicken.

Roasted Ras el Hanout Chicken   serves 4

• 4 plump chicken legs with thigh attached (skin on)
• 1 large onion, peeled, quartered, and sliced
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and grated
• 1 teaspoon flaked sea salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4-6 tablespoons ras el hanout spice mix
• water

Trim the chicken of excess fat and set aside.

Place the sliced onions in a non-reactive shallow baking dish just large enough to hold the chicken.
Add the lemon juice, garlic, salt, and coriander leaves and whisk together until the salt is dissolved. Then slowly whisk in the olive oil. Add the chicken to the pan and massage the marinade into the chicken and then turn the chicken skin side up. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for several hours.

Remove from the refrigerator about 20 minutes before roasting.

Preheat the oven to 400f/200c

Remove the chicken from the marinade and place in a bowl. Add the ras el hanout mix and massage the mix all over the chicken until the chicken is completely encrusted with the spice mix.

Spread out the onions evenly in the baking pan and place the chicken on top of the onions skin side up.

Transfer the chicken in the oven and roast for 30 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and baste the chicken with the pan juices. Add a little water to the pan to keep the chicken moist if needed for another 30 minutes of roasting. Return the pan to the oven and roast for another 30 to 40 minutes. Keep an eye on the chicken and cover loosely with foil if the skin is looking overly dark. Add water as needed. This may seem like a long roasting time, but you want the flesh to be very tender while the skin is dark and crispy.

Remove the chicken from the oven and set aside to rest while you assemble plates for serving.

Serving: Arrange the chicken, grilled and roasted vegetables, and the bulgur pilaf as pictured. Serve with additional hummus sauce on the table along with a small bowl of spiced mixed olives.