Moroccan Chicken and Chickpeas

Judy asked me at about 3 o’clock this afternoon what we were having for dinner tonight.  I must admit, at that point I hadn’t really thought about it yet.  So, in keeping with the theme of trying dishes from places we haven’t been, but would like to visit, I went to the Weight Watchers app on my I Phone and did a search on Recipes, Cuisine.  Up came a list of various types of cuisine from around the world and at the top of the list was…African.  “What would I find here?” I wondered.  

Scrolling down the page, which wasn’t very long, I noticed the name of tonight’s dish, and it seemed to jump right off the page, Moroccan Chicken with Chickpeas.  Being intrigued by the name I looked for the list of ingredients and cooking instructions.  Honestly, I had never imagined when we began this journey that I would one day be combining these particular ingredients in a dish, but I couldn’t wait to start.

At about 5 o’clock I went to the store to pick up my chicken, garbanzo beans, and green olives. All of the other ingredients were already in our pantry.  By 6:30 I had all of the items measured out and ready for cooking, and by 7:15 we were ready to sit down for dinner.  

This dish turned out beautifully.  Tonight’s featured recipe brings together different flavors and textures in a marriage that must have been made in heaven. The lemon slices tasted like candy. The Chickpeas bore no resemblance to the garbanzo beans I usually have only on salads.  We ate as though it was our last meal.  We hope you try this recipe and enjoy preparing, and devouring, it as much as we did.

Moroccan Chicken and Chickpeas

Ingredients

½ tsp table salt

¼ tsp black pepper, freshly ground

3 Tbsp all-purpose flour

½ tsp cayenne pepper

1 pound chicken breasts (2 breasts), uncooked, boneless, skinless, cut into 4 pieces

2 tsp olive oil

1 large onion, yellow

1 lemon, sliced, ends discarded, seeds removed

1 cup canned Chickpeas, Garbanzo Beans (low sodium if available), drained and rinsed

1 & ½ cups fat-free chicken broth

6 medium olives, green, sliced

2 cups cooked brown rice

1 tsp parsley, chopped

Instructions

Stir salt, pepper and cayenne pepper into flour and coat chicken.

In a large, nonstick skillet, warm oil over medium heat. Add chicken and cook chicken until golden brown.

Stir in onion and lemon, sauté until omions are translucent and browning.  Stir in Chickpeas and broth. 

Bring to simmer, cover and let cook 30 minutes.  Stir in olives.

Garnish with parsley and serve over 1 cup of rice.

Yields 4 servings.  Weight Watchers PointsPlus value per serving is 9. 

Level of difficulty is Moderate. Prep time is 20 – 25 minutes. Cooking time is 40 minutes.

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Photo by Barry Baruh