Moroccan Chicken

The Basics

WHAT: Recipe for the Moroccan chicken with sweet potato mash

SOURCE: BBC Good Food; We’ve tried and like it!

GREAT FOR: Mediterranean Recipes, Healthy Diet, Meat Lovers

About

Sweet potato is one of the most nutritious vegetables available. In fact, the longest livening people, from Okinawa island, favour the purple-fleshed sweet potato over rice (unlike the mainland of Japan) and use it as the primary source of carbohydrates.

Sweet potato is commonly accepted as originated in North America but recent scientific findings argue that sweet potato belongs to the family of vegetables found in Asia (parts today known as India) long before they were discovered in America.

Scientists have found that sweet potatoes:

• Are among the best sources of Vitamin A
• Are naturally packed with vitamin B5, riboflavin, niacin, thiamin
• Contain anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and anticancer properties
• Are an extremely important source of Vitamin A because they contain high levels of beta-carotene
• Have low glycemic index (sweet potatoes release sugar into the bloodstream slowly, unlike other starchy foods)
• Are high in fiber
• Are the source of magnesium
• Contain a significant amount of vitamins, most with powerful anti-inflammatory properties
• Have high concentration of choline (reduces inflammatory responses)
• Are high in potassium (higher intake of potassium results in a decrease in blood pressure)
• Contain anthocyanin which is memory-enhancing

Ingredients

• 1kg sweet potatoes , cubed
• 2 tsp mix of ground cinnamon and cumin
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 fat garlic clove , crushed
• 200ml chicken stock
• 2 tsp clear honey
• juice ½ lemon
• handful green olives , pitted or whole
• 20g pack coriander, leaves chopped

Preparation

STEP 1

Boil the potatoes in salted water for 15 mins or until tender. Mix seasoning, then sprinkle all over the chicken. Heat 1 tbsp oil in large frying pan, then brown the chicken for 3 mins on each side until golden.

STEP 2

Lift the chicken out of the pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 5 mins until softened. Add the stock, honey, lemon juice and olives, return the chicken to the pan, then simmer for 10 mins until the sauce is syrupy and the chicken cooked.

STEP 3

Mash the potatoes with 1 tbsp oil and season. Thickly slice each chicken breast and stir the coriander through the sauce. Serve the chicken and sauce over mash.