Now that my littlest has a good set of chompers, she is devouring solid food (mostly animal proteins) in vast quantities. I am not a huge meat lover, but there is a place for it. In an effort to stay within our budget, seasoning a whole chicken and roasting it, is simple, filling and delicious!
We are also expecting a move to the Middle East in the coming years so we might as well start using some of the region's spices to help the kids' taste buds get use to the new flavors!
While it's not fresh and isn't half as vibrant as what you'd find in a local market in that part of the world, I rubbed the brined chicken with ground coriander, ground cayenne pepper, ground cinnamon, ground cumin, & paprika.
While it's not fresh and isn't half as vibrant as what you'd find in a local market in that part of the world, I rubbed the brined chicken with ground coriander, ground cayenne pepper, ground cinnamon, ground cumin, & paprika.
It's fun to have one "pizazz" ingredient to the chicken. And so medjool dates were the surprising addition! We were walking through the farmers market and my husband was lured to trying a date. He decided that it was a good purchase and so we bought them. I am not a super huge fan, but I have to say, I am getting better at liking them. And my littles love them!
I wanted to add some roasted vegetables and just grabbed what we had. Some golden beets (farmer's market), dates (had to pry out the pit), onion and garlic were chopped up and placed around the chicken.
Throw the bird in the oven and let it bake. Meanwhile, let's make some date reduction sauce!
The idea came on the spur of the moment...so what do I do? I google "date reduction sauce" and woolah! This recipe came through for me. As always, I adjusted to fit my needs and my ingredients.
I followed the recipe's guidelines for the dates and poured boiling water on them and covered them for about 5-10 minutes.
Then I simmered the red wine, chicken broth, dates & vinegar until it looked like the above!
The hubs sliced the chicken and we drizzled the sauce over it. The date sauce had a nice sweet tang to it that was a good complement to the seasoned chicken!
As you can see, we had salad (with goat cheese!), sourdough rolls, sauteed greens and onions to accompany the roast chicken and roasted vegetables and dates.
The hot judge recommends it as a 3***. Not bad, but not his favorite.
Have you had any Middle Eastern foods before? What was it and why did you like it?
Your loves spices friend, Aly!
The hot judge recommends it as a 3***. Not bad, but not his favorite.
Have you had any Middle Eastern foods before? What was it and why did you like it?
Your loves spices friend, Aly!