I was a little unsure whether George would accept this Moroccan chicken with couscous for his dinner tonight. I was pleasantly surprised – he did more than accept it, he demolished it!  It just sort of came together while I was making Charlie and I Moroccan chicken pies for our dinner (which we discovered you can cook using just the bbq and grill rather than an oven!).  I just picked out a few of the ingredients and came up with this.   This recipe uses some strong flavours but together it all works and is great for helping with the transition to family foods.

Note:  This recipe uses small quantities of many ingredients.  Adapt it as necessary to save you buying ingredients you might not use again.

Nutrition Note: Create “mini” meals for your baby using appropriate ingredients that you are using in your own meals to help with the transition to family foods and for avoiding the fussy eating phase altogether.  It’s a great time and money saver too!

Ingredients

• 150 g chicken breast or thigh, fat trimmed and cut into 2 cm pieces
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 1/4 tsp tumeric
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 glove garlic, crushed
• 1/4 tsp grated ginger
• 2 tbsp finely diced brown onion
• 1 medium potato, diced
• 1/2 cup diced pumpkin
• 1 tsp preserved lemon rind, chopped (optional, or alternatively use 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest)
• 1 dried apricot, chopped (optional)
• 1/4 cup salt reduced chicken stock (or water)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 medium zucchini, chopped
• 1/4 cup couscous
• 1/4 cup boiling water

Method

Step 1

Combine flour, tumeric and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add the chicken and mix to coat. -

Step 2

Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic and chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken and cook for a further 2-3 minutes until lightly browned. -

Step 3

Add the potato, pumpkin, lemon rind, dried apricot, stock and water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook for a further 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Blend together until desired consistency is reached, adding more liquid if necessary. -

Step 4

Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine couscous and boiling water and leave to stand for 2-3 minutes then fluff with a fork. Serve the chicken alongside couscous or mix them together. -