African Chicken

2 pounds skinless chicken
2 tablespoons oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, to taste
(optional) dash of salt
(optional) few dashes of black pepper
15 ounces canned tomato sauce
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Directions:
After washing it, arrange the chicken in a large baking dish. You can use breasts, thighs, or drumsticks--boneless or bone-in. However, if you use bone-in pieces, eating the chicken will be substantially messier, although it will taste just as good! In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190.5 degrees C). Add the thinly sliced onions and minced garlic to the oil, and cook them gently, stirring often. If you like garlic a lot, which I do, use 3 or 4 cloves; otherwise, use 2. Once the onions have wilted, add the peanut butter, coriander, and red pepper flakes to the skillet. Mix everything together well. To intensify the sauce, you might want to add a dash of salt, a few dashes of black pepper, and an extra 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes. Once everything is mixed well, turn off the heat and pour the sauce into the baking dish over the chicken. Place the uncovered dish in the oven and bake the chicken for about 40-45 minutes. If you use chicken that contains bones, cook the dish for about 50 minutes.

Algerian Roasted Chicken
posted by Lars--based on recipe by Chef Farid Zadi

1 whole chicken
4 cloves of garlic
1-1/2 tbsp Kosher salt
1 teaspoon of sumac
1/2 teaspoon of sesame seeds
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek
3/4 tsp cumin
3 tablespoons of butter, room temperature
1 tbsp minced Thai basil (or 1/2 tsp fennel)
2 lemons
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
extra herbs, 1 tsp each minced fresh oregano and basil, optional
4-5 sprigs of thyme

Start charcoal for outdoor barbeque, using large chunks of mesquite wood and charcoal

Place the chicken in a roasting pan with a rack. Slide your fingers under the breasts to separate the skin from the meat, turn the chicken over and do the same with the thighs.

Mash the garlic with 1-1/2 tablespoons of salt in a mortar and pestle or finely chop the garlic and incorporate the salt into it with the side of your knife or back of a spoon. Add the sumac, sesame seeds, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, and cumin and mix to pulverize the seeds. Add butter and basil and combine to mix. Tuck pieces of the butter into the "pockets" under the skin.

Squeeze the juice of one lemon all over the chicken, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle freshly ground black pepper. Season the cavity with pepper, tuck in the lemon halves and more herbs into the cavity if desired.

Place the chicken on the barbeque and cover, leaving vents fully open to maintain heat.

Baste the chicken every 15 minutes alternating water and pan drippings. Midway through cooking turn the chicken 90 degrees. Continue frequent basting. The cooking time for a 3-1/2 pound bird is about 1-1/2 hours, depending on how hot your fire is. Cook to an internal temperature of 160°, measured in the thigh.

Let rest covered about 30 minutes before carving. Squeeze fresh lemon juice into the roasting juices, and pour into a gravy boat. Add salt, if needed.
Serve with roasted potatoes, green salad, and French or Italian bread.

Linda

Sosaties (Africa News Cookbook-penguin'86)

3 lbs lamb, ribs, or chicken
2 bay leaves

2 T oil
4 med onions, minced

1 tsp hot curry pd
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 cup ea lemon juice & water
2 T apricot jam
1 T br. sugar

Saute onions in oil; mix in spices; add remaing ingredients & bring to boil.
Remove and cool. Marinate meat & bay leaves overnight with mixture.

? Bake in marinade.

Thicken w/ 2 T flour to serve. Garnish with cilantro (opt)

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African Chicken
Chicken pieces for 6-8 people. (I use skinless thigh pieces)
1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 Tablespoons salad oil (or palm oil if you want to be authentic and can stand the smell)
1 large onion, chopped (at least 1 cup!)
1 large green pepper
2 cloves garlic
2-3 tablespoons curry powder (to taste)
1 large can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup raisins
2-3 rounded tablespoons chunky peanut butter
optional: hot pepper flakes to taste
hot cooked rice
Combine flour, salt & pepper in a plastic bag. Shake chicken, a few at a time in flour mixture.
Brown chicken, a few at a time, in oil in a heavy skillet or dutch oven. Remove chicken pieces and keep warm.
Add onion, green pepper, garlic and curry powder to drippings in skillet. Saute until onion is soft. Add tomatoes and their liquid, raisins, peanut butter and hot pepper flakes (if desired. Stir.) Add the chicken. Cover. Simmer one hour or until chicken is tender. Arrange chicken on rice and spoon sauce on top.

If you make this recipe without the peanut butter and hot peppers, it is a more ordinary North American dish...and very good.( I make it as directed except for the palm oil and its wonderful!)