02/24/2011

Chicken with Tomatoes, Honey and Sesame Seeds

Mellahs are Jewish quarters located in the old, walled part of most major Moroccan cities. The first Mellah was established in Fes in the 15th century where a large Jewish community settled. Fes was the center of many Judeo-Islamic exchanges throughout the centuries. It is a culturally rich city partly because of these and other exchanges. Many Moroccan Jews from Fes have the last name El Fassi (the one from Fes). Many Muslims from Fes have the last name Cohen or Guessous (a variation of Kessous). Many of the dishes both communities enjoyed are practically one and the same, sometimes having a different name, sometimes simply a different pronunciation (Moroccan Jews pronounce the “s” like an “sh” as in “sheffa” instead of “seffa”), or a couple of letters different (as in “tchermela” for “chermoula”).

This chicken with tomatoes and honey is one that is common to both communities in Fes. It is made in other parts of the country as well but is primarily known as a Fassi dish. My rendition of it is with chicken, tomatoes and honey cooked together instead of the tomatoes caramelized separately and topped on the chicken at serving.

Bon appétit! Bessaha! Bete’Avon!


Chicken with Tomatoes, Honey and Sesame Seeds

6 small servings

6 skinless chicken thighs
1 small onion, peeled and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Sea salt, to taste
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

3 large tomatoes, peeled and diced
3 tablespoons honey

3 tablespoons white sesame seeds, lightly toasted

Place the chicken, onion, garlic, olive oil, butter, salt, pepper, ginger, and turmeric (first 9 ingredients) in a medium pot over medium heat. Sauté until the onions are translucent, 5 to 7 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and honey, cover and cook until the chicken is cooked and the sauce reduced, 40 to 45 minutes.

Plate the chicken, top it with sauce and sprinkle it with sesame seeds.

Serve with rice or bread.


Related Posts:
Pallébé
Massapan
Markat Hzina: Moroccan Salsa
Mhemmer
Mufletas
Skhina
Celebrating Jewish Moroccan Cuisine

Posted in Chicken, Gluten-Free Dinners, Jewish Moroccan Recipes, Meat, Moroccan Recipes, Tagine
33 comments » / Leave a Comment »
 

Related Posts

33 Responses to “Chicken with Tomatoes, Honey and Sesame Seeds”

  1. 1

    Peter M — 02/24/2011 @ 12:25 pm

    The sesame seeds that top this dish is a simple but gorgeous garnish..nice plating!

  2. 2

    Sonia (Nasi Lemak Lover) — 02/24/2011 @ 12:46 pm

    This dish sound so simple to prepare and yet it look so delicious.

  3. 3

    Warda — 02/24/2011 @ 2:37 pm

    This looks amazing! T'barak Allah alik! And I love the fact that you used skinless chicken thighs. They are the best for tagines and kedras :) Lovely blog you have here. Glad I stumbled upon it.

  4. 4

    Karen — 02/24/2011 @ 3:07 pm

    This sounds wonderful, especially the combination of the spices with the honey. Glad I discovered your lovely blog!

  5. 5

    teresa — 02/24/2011 @ 4:14 pm

    oh wow, that is such delicious looking chicken, love it!

  6. 6

    Bridgett — 02/24/2011 @ 4:28 pm

    The chicken looks so gorgeous and full of flavor. The addition of the honey would be an interesting element to this dish.

  7. 7

    A SPICY PERSPECTIVE — 02/24/2011 @ 5:10 pm

    MMMM! That is just lovely. The sesame seeds add a nice touch. :)

  8. 8

    La Table De Nana — 02/24/2011 @ 5:17 pm

    This looks so good..the honey and sesame seeds:) Just gorgeous Nisrine..I know..food to me can be gorgeous:)

  9. 9

    Barbara — 02/24/2011 @ 5:20 pm

    A simple but elegant dish, Nisrine. I love this kind of dinner.

  10. 10

    sophiesfoodiefiles — 02/24/2011 @ 5:57 pm

    MMMMMMMMM,….What a great & fabulously looking dish!

  11. 11

    Bryan — 02/24/2011 @ 10:34 pm

    Wow Nisrine that looks so good! I love the many recipes that you post with a history.

  12. 12

    Cara — 02/25/2011 @ 2:11 am

    I love the idea of this sweet and savory combination.

  13. 13

    Prerna@IndianSimmer — 02/25/2011 @ 2:35 am

    That looks SO good Nisrine! And looks so simple to put together as well! Love it :-)

  14. 14

    Figs, Bay, Wine — 02/25/2011 @ 11:52 am

    What a simple, perfect flavor combination. This looks irresistible!

  15. 15

    Becky Sue — 02/25/2011 @ 12:33 pm

    This looks so wonderful! I wonder if I could make it in my Tagine or if that would cause too much liquid! (I am always looking for Tagine recipes!)

    Thanks for posting this
    Becky Sue @ BS Cooks

  16. 16

    lacaffettierarosa — 02/25/2011 @ 3:18 pm

    I love chicken roasted with honey and nuts, and pretty much the same spices of this one. I imagine the tomato will add a most welcome acidic note. Thanks!

  17. 17

    Bria @ West of Persia — 02/25/2011 @ 3:54 pm

    Lovely dish. Cool that you used chicken thighs. I'm all about them! Really enjoyed reading about the cultural exchange and peaceful co-existence between the 2 communities.

  18. 18

    A Canadian Foodie — 02/25/2011 @ 4:40 pm

    It sounds very simple with honey being the unexpected ingredient. Simple is ALWAYS best and this is a dish I would love to try. It looks scrumptious.
    :)
    Valerie

  19. 19

    Joanne — 02/25/2011 @ 8:59 pm

    I really love using honey in savory dishes, especially with all of those fabulous spices! I am definitely bookmarking this!

  20. 20

    Magic of Spice — 02/25/2011 @ 9:32 pm

    I love that you give background with your dishes, always fascinating. This dish certainly has some beautiful flavors :)

  21. 21

    Ilke — 02/25/2011 @ 9:53 pm

    Looks great, love the honey and tomato touch together.
    By the way, the dish itself with blue details adorning the sides looks very pretty…

  22. 22

    Emily — 02/25/2011 @ 11:57 pm

    Love the sesame seeds on top – this looks amazing!

  23. 23

    Julia — 02/26/2011 @ 6:38 am

    I love chicken and honey together but have never mixed tomatoes with it. I bet the sesame seeds make a tasty extra, too. Thanks for the background to the dish too. Learning lots about Morocco as well as Moroccan food from your blog.

  24. 24

    Nisrine Merzouki — 02/26/2011 @ 12:54 pm

    Thanks, everyone.

    Warda, Ilke, Becky, Figs, Karen, welcome to my blog!

  25. 25

    Lauren — 02/26/2011 @ 1:20 pm

    Love this one pot meal. The turmeric with the honey sounds like a great combination.

  26. 26

    Sanura @ MyLifeRunsOnFood.com — 02/27/2011 @ 4:37 am

    A very sweet and simple dish. It's a great way to use winter tomatoes, because the honey will sweeten them to taste like they're grown in the summer.

  27. 27

    elra — 02/27/2011 @ 4:46 pm

    Drooling! The flavor of ginger and turmeric, ahhhhh this is why I love Moroccan food so much.

  28. 28

    Kerstin — 02/27/2011 @ 9:24 pm

    This sounds so easy and flavorful and I'm always looking for new chicken recipes -yum!

  29. 29

    Rosa's Yummy Yums — 02/28/2011 @ 10:05 am

    What a wonderful dish! I really love that combination of flavors and ingredients.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  30. 30

    Trix — 02/28/2011 @ 2:59 pm

    This is a really interesting flavor combination, and I particularly love the context you have given it.

  31. 31

    Laura — 03/01/2011 @ 9:12 pm

    That looks fantastic!

  32. 32

    Elizabeth and Jared — 04/25/2011 @ 6:27 am

    I love this blog! We are such huge Tagine fans and I will be coming back and back and back! Such fantastic recipes! Thank you!

  33. 33

    Nisrine Merzouki — 04/26/2011 @ 11:02 am

    Elizabeth, Thank you!

Leave a Comment