Moroccan-spiced chicken with dates & aubergines from Simple: Effortless Food, Big Flavours (page 223) by Diana Henry

  • chicken thighs
  • ground cumin
  • dates
  • aubergines
  • ground ginger
  • harissa paste
  • onions
  • oranges
  • pistachio nuts
  • basmati rice
  • chicken stock
  • sea salt flakes

Where’s the full recipe - why can I only see the ingredients?

Always check the publication for a full list of ingredients. An Eat Your Books index lists the main ingredients and does not include 'store-cupboard ingredients' (salt, pepper, oil, flour, etc.) - unless called for in significant quantity.

Notes about this recipe

  • ozfoodie on March 11, 2023

    I made this before reading the previous comments and I'm glad I did. Made as per the recipe and was really happy with it. I'd been concerned there wouldn't be enough rice – but there was more than enough and it was beautifully cooked. Another time, if I can be bothered, I might stick the pan under the grill at the end of the cooking time, for a deeper browning of the chicken skin (my oven browned the pieces somewhat unevenly), but the skin was still crispy and hubby and I both enjoyed.

  • anya_sf on February 14, 2021

    Having read the other comments, I compared the British vs US recipes and realized that the British version calls for 225 g rice, which is a few tablespoons more than the 1 cup called for in the US version, which may be one reason why people got mixed results with the rice. I used 225 g and actually had to add extra liquid later as it took over an hour to cook. My problem was following the instruction to mix everything, which resulted in many grains of rice that weren't submerged in liquid. Another factor may have been baking this in a Dutch oven (which I did) vs a shallower dish. In the end, we really enjoyed the flavors, especially with yogurt, so I'd definitely make this again, but will mix the rice, etc. prior to topping with the chicken, making sure the rice is covered with liquid.

  • sdeathe on October 05, 2020

    This was okay. Lots of liquid, perhaps due to larger than British chicken thighs which crowded the pan. Not too sweet for us. Good, but not wonderful.

  • TrishaCP on August 10, 2020

    Thanks to everyone’s comments, we tweaked this to our tastes and loved it. I used 2 cups of stock (would go with 1 3/4 next time) and cooked this for 60 minutes.

  • purrviciouz on August 19, 2019

    I thought this was okay although my husband loved it. I used six chicken thighs and the rice was wet for my preference. I added more harissa paste at the table with greek yogurt sauce to add more flavor to the dish. I wouldn't repeat this dish. Revised - the leftovers are much better and the flavors are much more developed and rich the next day.

  • Barb_N on March 11, 2019

    This is simple in the sense that you mix everything in one pot then bake. That said, it did take a good 45 minutes of prep since I needed to cut up a whole chicken. I cooked it for 60 minutes due to the amount of meat. I used 1 1/2 c stock and the rice was more moist than I prefer- probably should have used brown rice like I usually do. The harissa supplied nice heat but like FJT, I thought the predominant flavor was sweet- fom the dates and the orange. The recipe would require extra steps but I think it would benefit from mixing the spices, oj and harissa so that it can be tasted for balance before mixing it with the chicken.

  • FJT on October 22, 2017

    This was quite nice and very easy. I reduced the amount of dates by half and was glad I did as the dish was very sweet. If I made it again I would increase the amount of harissa to counterbalance the sweetness. I think there was too much liquid resulting in slightly mushy rice after the cooking time was up, but the flavours were good and the chicken was very nice.

  • Charlotte_vandenberg on September 10, 2017

    Very easy, and okay. Nothing spectacular, some parts of the rice were a little bland. The rice was perfectly cooked, and no parts were burnt or sticky. I used chicken breast instead of thighs, which turned out fine, probably a bit drier. I am using more harissa next time.

  • sosayi on April 07, 2017

    Note to self: British chicken thighs must be smaller than American ones. I'd only use (4) in the future. And I'd also decrease the liquid from 2.5 cups to 2 cups. Other than that, I adored the flavor profile. Maybe I'd just add a bit of parsley to the pistachio topping?

  • L.Nightshade on March 31, 2017

    I don’t eat rice, so just made this without. Consequently I omitted the two cups of stock that I figured would be needed for the rice, and just used the remaining 1/2 cup. My pistachios were raw, so I put them on during the last few minutes of cooking. The remaining ingredients, timing, and temperature were as written. I realize that omitting the rice was a big change, so I can’t speak to some of the issues people have had with liquid and rice, but we were pretty thrilled with this version of the dish. I cut the onions fairly small, as I had trouble with another dish in the book, where I felt the onions were undercooked, and they were still very slightly undercooked to my taste. Mr. NS thought they were fine. He’s requested this go into regular rotation, and so it will (pretending for a minute that I even have a rotation).

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