This week we are taking a trip to Morocco to try a sweet and savory dish from the Moroccan Jewish community: Chicken with dates. This delicious chicken recipe is often served for Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) as the ingredients hold many symbolic connections: dates in Hebrew are tamarim, a play on the word yitamu (“may your enemies be”) destroyed. Honey is also consumed as people pray for a “good sweet year”.

Morocco is located on the African continent and it borders Algeria and Western Sahara. A flight to Morocco takes about 4-hours from the UK and about 15 hours from New York.

Chicken with Dates

Ingredients

6 chicken quarters

4 tbsp sunflower oil

2 large onions, roughly chopped

2 tsp cinnamon

¾ tsp mace

¼ tsp nutmeg

1 tbsp honey

Salt and pepper to taste

250g dates pitted

Juice of ½ lemon

Pinch of saffron

100g blanched almonds, toasted

400ml water

If you are interested in other Jewish recipes, try this amazing cookbook. 

Method

• Heat the sunflower oil in a large pan and sauté the chicken pieces until lightly colored, turning them over once. Remove them and set them aside
• Add the onions to the pan and cook on low until soft, stirring occasionally.
• Add the cinnamon, mace, nutmeg and honey, pour 400ml of water. Stir well.
• Return the chicken pieces to the pan and bring to boil. Add salt and pepper to taste and then lower the heat and cook for 25 minutes.
• Add the dates, lemon juice and saffron and cook for another 5-10 minutes.
• Serve with almonds sprinkled on top

Little Fingers Can

Due to the nature of the recipe, it is best suited for children 7+. They can help with every step under adult supervision.

You may also like these other recipes from our Bébé Voyage Around The World Series:

Stroganoff From Russia: Delicious Recipes From Around The World

Tiramisu From Italy: Delicious Recipes From Around The World!

Da Pan Ji, Big Plate Chicken From China! Recipes From Around The World