Morrocan Chicken & Couscous & Ras-El-Hanout

 
Ok so once a week I buy something new at the grocery store.  This week I bought couscous.  Now although I've actually eaten couscous many times before, I've never actually made it myself.  I cheated a little and bought instant.  How easy!  Easier then rice and pasta. You bring the chicken stock to a boil, add couscous, cover, turn heat off and that's it. 
I've had couscous served with many different main dishes.  However I really wanted to reasearch it's origin and what goes best with it.  I came up with Morroco! I researched all the spices and different dishes that Morroco has to offer and, this is what I came up with......




Ras-El-Hanout (common spices that are used in Morrocan cuisine)
-2 teaspoons Garam Masala (corriander, pepper, cinnamon, cumin, cardamom)
-1 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon ginger
--1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
-1/2 teaspoon allspice
-1/4 teaspoon cloves
This yields about two tablespoons or so.
You can use this for the entire dish or just a little and store the rest in an airtight container.


3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (usually a whole chicken is used)
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for cooking
8 oz. tomato sauce (if you have fresh tomatoes use about 3 chopped)
1 eggplant (one zuchinni can be used)
10.5 oz can of chick peas
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 large onion chopped (about a cup and a half)
3 garlic cloves chopped


In a bowl combine the Ras-El-Hanout, chicken and 1/4 cup olive oil. Cover chicken well with the spices and oil and let marinate for at least three hours.
In a large deep skillet brown the chicken on all sides.  Remove the chicken and set aside for later use.  Next add in the onions and garlic and cook until translucent.  Add the chicken back to the skillet along with, the tomatoes and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer about 20 minutes.  Now you want to add in the eggplant and simmer another 15 minutes or until soft.  Lastly add in the canned chick peas and cook another 10 to 15 minutes. Top with fresh lemon juice and serve over couscous.  The couscous is really simple to cook.  I cooked mine in low sodium/fat free chicken broth.  Just follow the directions on the box and lay chicken over top.  The smells and flavors are incredible!