My daughter has loved couscous for a long time, so while we were at Disney’s EPCOT Center last month the Moroccan restaurant Marakesh was one we could all agree upon.The food was fabulous, but the best part of our visit there was getting to know our waitress. Like many EPCOT staff, Maryem was participating in a work-based exchange program. She told the kids about what life was like for her in Morocco and went the extra mile to make our experience there fun and educational. We left with the desire to visit Morocco one day, but with the more immediate goal of cooking up some mouth-watering Moroccan food at home.
I did a little research and came up with this Moroccan chicken stew recipe. It was really good, even for picky palates (my son). It would be a good way to introduce reluctant eaters to international flavors.
Frugal Tips: Israeli couscous is a great alternative to pasta. My kids love it! It absorbs whatever flavors it is cooked with. Whenever I’m looking for a filler item on Amazon, I add it to my cart. It’s available here: Israeli Couscous
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 onions, chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lb. carrots, sliced in 1″ pieces
- 4 celery stalks, sliced in 1″ pieces
- 1 Tbsp. ground coriander
- 1 Tbsp. cumin
- 1 Tbsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. tumeric
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- 6 C. chicken broth (divided)
- 2½ lb. chicken pieces, browned (chicken thighs work well) and cut into 1″ bites
- 2 C. large-pearl couscous (Israeli couscous)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil. Saute onion until caramelized. Add garlic, carrots, and celery. Saute 2-3 minutes. Add spices, lemon juice and 4 cups of the chicken broth along with browned chicken pieces. Cover and simmer 20-30 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked through. Add couscous and additional 2 cups chicken broth, and simmer until couscous is done (about 8-10 minutes). Season with salt and pepper.