Dalia's Kitchen: chicken

VIDEO: making your own Za'atar and my Za'atar Chicken

Getting ready for the new chapter in our life and a beautifully, creamy Butter Chicken

My last few posts have been a little different from my usual recipe plus image ones. Even though I have a ton of recipes on hand, I somehow have been feeling the urge to share in a different manner these days...

The birth of my second child is just around the corner inshAllah, and so I'm going through the so-called "nesting" phase. A very strong one I may add! I'm planning a month's menu for my little family, knowing I won't be up and running by the stove too soon, going through an OCD phase which means the house is suffering through multiple changes & spring cleanings a week. For some reason, I still haven't had time to set up my baby's nursery which is making me feel super guilty, so I'm getting a little anxious to say the least.

I admit. I'm nervous about having a second child, managing my bigger family and home, trying to find time to spend time with my beloved friends (who probably hate me by now as I'm not calling back, or even seeing anyone these days), plus launching a cookbook, running a chain of bakeries, writing a blog and shooting all at once are really making me feel an odd load of pressure. With my hormones going into overdrive, I haven't been this bipolar ever. Excited. Scared. Nervous. Happy. Tired. Energetic. Sad. Ecstatic. That is me right now pretty much every single day...

But all I can do is just take it one day at a time. I do remember this feeling when I gave birth to Phares, however, not as strongly. Then again, there was just one baby, no book and fewer bakeries, so I guess it all makes sense. Hamdellah, it's all a blessing, but I don't shy away from sharing when things seem to get a little tougher around the edges. After all, this blog is as personal as could be, and things are not always as they appear, so I don't mind sharing that ;)

On a lighter note, this is the latest video of my new cooking series :) I shot these episodes when I was four months pregnant, and am glad I did as I love watching them now. I also love this dish, and am sure you would too, so have a try. It's delectable!

Much love,

D xx

For the complete recipe visit: http://www.daliaskitchen.com/2011/12/ds-butter-chicken.html

Ronnie's Chicken Musakhan

Poulet a la Moutarde (Mustard Chicken)

D's Chicken Tajine

I'm finally back after quite a break! We spent a week in LA and another week in NYC and I must say it was amazing to be back in that bustling city I love so much.. I will write about my US foodie adventures in the next post, but for now I will share my delish Chicken Tajine recipe as promised over the weekend..

I had to go through some unexpected personal stuff when I got back from the States, and so I took a few days to do absolutely nothing.. I spent the time enjoying Phares and his first babbles, do loads of therapeutic cooking and watch plenty of silly TV which kept my mind off stuff.. One of the not so silly shows I watched was Jamie's Oliver's food escapade to Marrakesh.. I love Jamie, he's so simple, cooks from the heart and anyone who knows me knows I have a weakness for the British boys :)

I've been to Marrakesh a few times.. It's a beautiful city with loads of yummy food.. I remember spending fun times with dear friends eating gorgeous pastries while sitting in the courtyard of lovely Riads (large villas converted into boutique hotels).. So watching Jamie make a Beef and a Chicken Tajine the other day, made me want to get into my kitchen and do my own version of this Moroccan comfort food..

I didn't have whole chicken pieces so made this with frozen chicken breasts I had in the freezer. I also used Iranian dried fruit which my beatiful Mami in law Ronnie got fot me. It is my version of a Tajine, with what I had in the pantry and it turned out delish so I hope you enjoy it ;)

Much love,

D xx

Easy. Prep & Cook Time 1h30

Serves 4 - 6

8 chicken breasts
1 large onion chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups butternut squash, cut into 2cm chunks
juice of 1 lemon, then cut it into quarters
1 cup green olives, pitted and halved
2 tbsp lemon marmalade
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp zereshk (dried Iranian berry)
3 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot (cast iron or tajine pot if available but not necessary), heat a little olive oli and sear the chicken breasts until golden brown on each side. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add a little more oil and cook the onions and garlic for a few minutes, deglazing the pan. Return the chicken back to the pot and add all the ingredients apart from the parsley.

Bring everything to a boil, then cover and simmer for about an hour or until the chicken is tender and I like it even a little shredded. When ready, add the parsley and let the Tajine stand for about 10 minutes. Make the couscous by following the instructions on the pack, and sprinkle with a little parsley and serve with the Chicken Tajine. Enjoy!

On a lovely Friday afternoon...

D's Butter Chicken

Image by Chris Mejorada for CPI Publishing

I love Fridays.. And I love them even more after a good night out! Yesterday was my outing after becoming a mommy and I must admit it felt good to be back out :) We started off with a cozy dinner at Okku, having a good laugh over candlelight and munching on a delish new menu I might add!! I actually woke up dreaming of the spicy crab roll, hehe.. So after lots of good food and many, many glasses of wine, the cozy dinner turned into quite the party and we ended up getting home quite late.. What a fun eve which made me remember the times when I used to go out quite a bit! With my sis all over the place, before she got married and moved to Madrid (my other half, wow we had some amazing times!!), in NYC with Nadine, then with Alex and Aisha doing our girly outings at Cipriani Lounge (just smirking thinking about those nights), or rocking Beirut like crazy with my partner in crime, Racil (probably the best nights out I ever had!!) I realized I was lucky to have such amazing memories across the planet, with such amazing closies.. I really do miss you guys a lot..

And it's also on a night out in Beirut that I met my Phiras. So of course, silly me got all emotional again, realizing how time had gone by and that even though everything seemed the same at Okku last night, something huge had changed in our life.. Phiras and I became parents! And when we came home from the club last night, the first thing we did was go into the baby's room snuggle up with little Phares :)

After a night out like that, there is no way we were going to eat skinny meals today.. As we all know, the last thing you feel like eating after a good night out is a salad! Anyways, I have decided to postpone "D's Skinny Kitchen" until after the holidays :) January is the perfect detox month, in the mean time I will enjoy the end of 2012 and not think about those extra pounds :)

Phiras felt like Indian food, (I wasn't up for cooking today to be honest so we ended up ordering in) but it made me realize I had not shared with you my Butter Chicken recipe, so here it is.. So smooth yet fragrant, a little spicy and the most tender chicken.. absolutely delicious - enjoy!

Serves 6 - 8

Prep & Cook Time: ~ 1 hour

8 boneless chicken breasts (no skin), cut into pieces
1 large onion, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp grated ginger
½ red chili, finely sliced
2 tbsp cumin powder
2 tbsp garam masala
2 tbsp turmeric powder
1 pack tomato puree (200ml)
1 can coconut milk (400ml)
¼ cup heavy cream
400ml chicken stock
½ cup yoghurt
a handful of almonds
1 tomato, chopped
½ cup fresh coriander, finely chopped
salt to taste

In a large pan or wok, heat some nut oil and cook the onions until slightly brown, add the ginger, garlic, chili and all the spices and cook for a few minutes.

Add the chicken and cook until nicely browned, then add the stock, coconut milk and tomato puree. In a blender, liquefy the chopped tomato with almonds and add that to the pan.

Cook for about half an hour on low heat, then add the cream, yoghurt and salt to taste and cook for another 45 minutes or until the chicken is tender.

Add the coriander at the end, check for seasoning and serve with basmati rice. Divine!

(As featured in BBC Good Food ME October 2011)

VIDEO: making your own Za'atar and my Za'atar Chicken

Getting ready for the new chapter in our life and a beautifully, creamy Butter Chicken

Ronnie's Chicken Musakhan

Poulet a la Moutarde (Mustard Chicken)

D's Chicken Tajine

On a lovely Friday afternoon...

D's Butter Chicken

Yoghurt Marinated Chicken Skewers

D's Chicken Parmigiana

Baked Crispy Chicken Strips

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