Chicken with Almonds and Honey ~ Morocco

[Twitchin Kitten]

Again I'm trawling my cookbook for new dishes I've never eaten. This one was absolutely fabulous! I served it with a fatoush salad and green beans. Sadly I had to omit the saffron due to it being non-existant here. It was lovely none the less!
From the book:
A magnificent dish, and astunning example of the way Moroccans mix savory and sweet. Chicken pieces are first stewed iwth lemon juice and saffron, then baked with a topping of almons and honey.

Djaj bel Loz
Chicken with Almonds and Honey

Ingredients:

• 2 large onions, chopped
  
• 4 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
  
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  
• 2 3 1/2 - 4 pound chickens cut into quarters ( I used cut breasts for this)
  
• Salt and pepper
  
• 1/2 teaspoon powdered saffron
  
• juice of 1/2 - 1 lemon
  
• 1 1/2 cups blanched almonds coarsly ground
  
• 1 tablespoon rosewater
  
• 4 - 5 tablespoons honey
  

In a large pan (use a nice deep pot and not a pan! lesson learned), cook the onions in the oil over low heat with the lid on until they soften, stirring occasionally. Stir in teh ginger and cinnamon and put in the chicken. Cover with water, add salt and pepper, saffron, and lemon juice and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.

Taste and adjust the seasonings (the sauce should be quite salty), and move the pieces so that the top ones go to the bottom.

Lift the chicken out and arrange them in a large, shallow baking dish. Remove the skin if you like, and pour the sauce over.

Mix the ground almonds with the rose water and honey. Spread this paste over the chicken pieces and bake in a 350°F oven for around 30 - 45 minutes.

The flavor with the melting honey is divine!
Serve hot.

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