Happy Travel Tuesday! Thankfully, this week is looking up. I even came up with Plan B in order to ease my student loan debt depression. Wish me luck 😉 And so! Back to your new favorite travel series Hostel Cooking with an authentic, simple North African dish. Get into the kitchen and try out this Moroccan chicken recipe with couscous today.

Towering cones of Moroccan spices. I always wondered how they remained erected! (Spacmonster, Flickr)
Moroccan food: Brief background
Yes, I have previously introduced you to Moroccan food and even couscous history. However, we will dig a little deeper today 😉
Moroccan dishes are typically savory and sweet. Spice mixes typically incorporate a healthy dose of some eastern spices (such as turmeric and cumin), in addition to cinnamon and even ginger. Nuts, raisins, and prunes are typically used as toppings as well. The result? A mix of delicate, subtle flavors and notes.
As the Moroccan Tourist Office states, “spice does not mean chili. Spices are beneficial and even possess qualities which help digestion.” So if you are used to chunky Indian curries and other ultra-spicy Eastern concoctions, Moroccan food will (pleasantly) surprise you.
The most popular Moroccan spice mix is known as ras el-hanout. It is used for making most tajine and couscous dishes. Contents vary from household to household, so some ras el-hanout mixes may include up to 35 different spices!

Sample of Moroccan ras el-hanout by linecook, Flickr
Please note, our Moroccan chicken recipe with couscous is traditional — and not. How so? A formal meal in Morocco usually starts with hot and cold salads (analogous to Arab mezzes), followed by lamb or chicken (by themselves). Then, on the third course, the big couscous plate makes an appearance, topped with even more meat and vegetables.
However, since this is the Hostel Cooking travel series, we thrive to make even the most complicated dishes simple. For this reason, we have marinated the chicken with Moroccan-like spices and cooked boxed couscous within minutes. The taste though, I assure you, took me back back to Morocco instantly! So yes, by trying Josh’s Moroccan chicken recipe, your taste buds will have a little piece of North Africa — no matter where you are 😉
Hostel cooking: Chicken
Serves: 6
Total cost per plate: US $4.00 (based off Tampa, FL)
Total Cooking Time: 6 – 10 hrs for marinade; 30 mins prep and cooking time.
Moroccan chicken recipe with couscous (by Josh Snore)
Directions

The final product! Never thought you could cook Moroccan chicken with couscous in a hostel, did you?
Never been to Morocco, but the food looks yummy. I guess it’s pretty hard to get all these ingredients in Europe ;-(
hey Agness,
These ingredients shouldn’t be hard to find in Europe, at all! Especially given the proximity of Morocco to the continent. Some low-cost European airlines even fly to Morocco for really, really cheap. When I was living there, I flew from Fez (Morocco) to Madrid for $20 one weekend, including taxes (I know, crazy!).
You should check the ethnic foods section of the supermarket or for a specialty store, which I’m sure there are many. All you would need are the spices and a box of couscous. Listo! 😉
Here’s a tagine dish I made inspired by my trip to Morocco: http://www.tootimidandsqueamish.com/2011/11/ready-to-taste-tagine-again/
The chicken recipe looks really good!
I am really impressed by these towering cones of Moroccan spices. Thanks for sharing the recipe and the photos.
likewise! I always wondered how they could scoop out the spices, yet the towers wouldn’t collapse…