Chicken Chamoula with Chickpeas

One of my guilty pleasures is to go through the Williams-Sonoma catalog and obsess over their recipes.  The latest one made us want to cook Moroccan all the way.  I found the flavors to be uniquely subtle yet authentic.  It was a nice change from our more traditional dishes and made for some delightful aromas wafting from our kitchen.  I enjoy stepping out of our comfort zone on occasion and trying some more exotic meals for the family to share.  That's what is so wonderful about food...the possibilities are endless.

The Moroccan sauce I used in this dish is known as charmoula, which is a savory blend of tomato puree, olive oil, lemon and spices.  Charmoula is mostly used for preparing tagines as well as for braising poultry and a wide variety of meats. In their infinite wisdom with how they promote their products, Williams-Sonoma's sauce was created by Moroccan-born chef Mourad Lahlou, owner of San Francisco’s award-winning Aziza restaurant and of course is available to purchase online or I found it in their store here in Dallas.

In addition to this different, but really good dish I cooked Williams-Sonoma's   Vegetable Tagine  and I made couscous the traditional way as was also showcased in WS's most current catalog.  Those recipes are to follow and I will explain what tagine in my next post.

It is such a highlight for me when I get one of WS's catalogs in the mail.  I guess I'm just a simpleton at heart, but all I know is I do love me some Williams-Sonoma.  :-)

1 Tbs. canola oil
4 whole chicken legs
Kosher salt, to taste 
1 jar (21 oz.) Mourad’s spiced tomato and herb braising sauce
1 can (14 oz.) chickpeas, drained 
Steamed couscous for serving

In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Season the chicken legs with salt. Working in batches, brown the chicken on both sides, about 10 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate.

Add the braising sauce to the pot and bring to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pot, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the chicken is fork-tender, about 2 hours. During the last 15 minutes of cooking, add the chickpeas. Skim the excess fat off the sauce. Serve the chicken and sauce with steamed couscous. Serves 6 to 8.

This recipe is from Williams-Sonoma.


**As a side note, I added 1/4 cup of wine to clean out the the braising sauce jar so as to not waste a drop.  Happy Cooking!