Baked Moroccan-Spiced Chicken Drumsticks

“It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

This post is dedicated to a good friend, T, who has requested for the recipe, who’s friendship I have since 5th grade (that would be 21 years), who would take the bus with me when the limo breaks, who would walk along with me through the dark, and who would give me a heart full of joy.

I courageously invited a few friends, including T, over for lunch last Friday to test out this recipe for the first time. (No, they weren’t my guinea pigs? Oh, are they?) I suppose the outcome was excellent as the casserole was empty, literally, even the sauce.

I hope you will enjoy this recipe as well.

Spices, spices, spices! This recipe is all about spice. Your taste buds will be thick with pleasure from juicy and spiced chicken drumsticks.

This exotic tasting dish is a definite crowd pleaser.

Baked Moroccan-Spiced Chicken Drumsticks

Serving: 4
Ingredients:
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp ground tumeric
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp freshly grounded pepper
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
8 large chicken drumsticks
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced
2 cups chicken stock
6 dried dates, sliced and seeded
1/3 cup shredded coconut

Preparation:
Combine the garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin, cardamom, coriander, pepper and lemon zest in a small bowl. Set aside.

Trim the excess fat of chicken if any. Place the chicken in a ovenproof casserole dish. Add the seasoning mixture to the chicken and make sure each drumstick is completely coated. Cover and marinade for 3 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Cook the chicken quickly over medium high heat until well browned on the outside. Place the chicken back in the casserole dish.

Add 1 tsp of oil and stir fry the onion, and stirring until tender.

Add the cooked onion, dates, shredded coconuts to the casserole dish. Pour the chicken stock evenly over the dish. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until the chicken is tender, stirring occasionally.

Remove from the oven, uncover and serve with white rice on the side.

Note: Dried prunes, figs, or apricots are great alternatives to dates.