Moroccan Chicken

Courtesy of Martha Stewart (I don't have a picture of this favorite but Martha has a lovely video on her site.)

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 2 carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 small onion, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt, plus more as needed
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
• 1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 pinch of ground cinnamon
• 8 chicken legs, skin removed
• 1/2 cup homemade or canned low-sodium chicken stock
• Cooked couscous, for serving

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine carrots, chickpeas, onion, raisins, ginger, garlic, thyme, lemon zest, and olive oil; toss to coat.
2. In a separate large bowl, stir together 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, coriander, cumin, and cinnamon. Add chicken legs, and toss to coat.
3. Have ready four 12-by-17-inch sheets of parchment. Lay a sheet of the parchment paper on a work surface. Place 1/4 vegetable mixture in center of sheet; season with salt and pepper. Drizzle 2 tablespoons chicken stock over vegetables. Center 2 chicken legs over vegetables.
4. To seal packet, bring edges of parchment together, and make a 1-inch fold, and crease. Make another 1/2-inch fold in the same direction, and crease to form a seam. Working with the edges of a short end, fold in towards center to meet, creating a triangle (as if wrapping a gift). Fold point under a few times, and press to seal; repeat with other side. Repeat with remaining ingredients and remaining 3 sheets of parchment.
5. Transfer packets to a baking sheet. Bake until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender, about 1 hour 15 minutes. To serve, carefully cut open each packet with kitchen shears. Remove chicken and vegetables, and serve over couscous.

*Jayne's Notes: This recipe calls for parchment paper cooking. As a busy mother of three I found it's easiest to put the entire recipe mixture in a covered oven-proof casserole dish. The end result is a little soupy but we've found the broth soaks nicely into the couscous. Yummy! I must say thank you to my sophisticated New Yorker friend for life (since we've known each other since Girl Scouts) Jessica for introducing this delicious recipe to me! She has more spare time on her hands to watch Food Network or Martha so I'm glad she shares her yummy finds with me!