Moroccan Roast Chicken With Saffron, Hazelnuts, And Honey

Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 large chicken (cut into quarters -breast and wing, leg and thigh)
• 2 onions, coarsely chopped
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• saffron thread, a generous pinch juice of 1 lemon
• 4 tablespoons cold water
• 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• scant 3/4 cups unskinned hazelnuts (100 g)
• 3 1/2 tablespoons honey (70 g)
• 2 tablespoons rose water
• 2 green onions, coarsely chopped

Recipe

• 1 in a large bowl, mix the chicken pieces with the onions, olive oil, ginger, cinnamon, saffron, lemon juice, water, salt, and pepper. leave to marinate for at least 2 hours or, preferably, overnight in the fridge.
• 2 preheat the oven to 375°f / 190°c spread the hazelnuts out on a baking sheet and toast for 10 minutes, until lightly browned. chop coarsely and set aside.
• 3 transfer the chicken and marinade to a baking sheet large enough to accommodate everything comfortably. arrange the chicken pieces skin side up and put the pan in the oven for about 35 minutes.
• 4 while the chicken is roasting, mix the honey, rose water, and nuts together to make a rough paste, the food processor will do this nicely. remove the chicken from the oven, spoon a generous amount of nut paste onto each piece, and spread it to cover. return to the oven for 5 to 10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the nuts are golden brown.
• 5 transfer the chicken to a serving dish and garnish with the chopped green onions.