Moroccan Couscous with Vegetables and Chicken with homemade chicken stock

👨‍🍳 Method

For the homemade chicken stock ✓ Homemade · or skip – back to store-bought

1. 1
   Put the chicken, the onion, carrot, celery, parsley, bay leaves and peppercorns and the water in a pot and bring to a boil. Skim off the foam that rises during the first 15 minutes with a spoon.

   StovePot
2. 2
   Turn down and simmer gently 2.5–3 hours.

   Stove

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
3. 3
   Strain the stock.

   Colander

For the Fried onion

1. 4
   Heat the olive oil in a wide pot over medium heat.

   StoveWide, shallow pot
2. 5
   Add the onion and fry for 8 minutes, stirring, until the onion is soft and deep golden.

   Stove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.

To assemble

1. 6
   Add the chicken and fry 5 minutes.

   Stove
2. 7
   Add the cumin, turmeric, paprika, ginger, cinnamon, salt and black pepper and stir.
3. 8
   Add the carrot, eggplant, red pepper and stock and bring to a boil.

   Stove
4. 9
   Turn down the heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes.

   StoveLid
5. 10
   Add the zucchini and olives and cook another 10 minutes.

   Stove

   💡Hard vegetables (carrot, eggplant) go in first, and zucchini only toward the end of cooking: that way they're all tender and none fall apart.
6. 11
   Bring cup and a quarter of the stock to a boil and pour it over the couscous.

   StoveSmall saucepan
7. 12
   Cover 5 minutes and fluff the grains with a fork.

   💡Fluff with a fork, not a spoon: a fork separates the grains, and a spoon mashes them into clumps.
8. 13
   Serve the couscous on a plate with the stew and broth on top.
9. 14
   Sprinkle the cilantro on top.