So, after an incredible meal at Cafe Mogador in New York, my husband makes the humble request that I re-create the chicken chermoulah tagine I had ordered for dinner. For those of you unfamiliar with Moroccan food, Chermoulah is a blend of fresh herbs, chilis, and garlic that when cooked down creates the most delicious and aromatic sauce.

The Chermoulah

1 bunch of cilantro
1/2 bunch of flat leaf parsley
4 cloves of garlic
3 seranno or 2 jalepeno peppers (use less if you like things less spicy)
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground corriander and/or cardamom
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp water

Roughly chop the herbs and peppers, and place all the ingredients into a food processor. Process until the ingredients come together like a paste, roughly the consistency of pesto.

You will need approximately 4-6 skinless, bone-in chicken thighs for this recipe. Make the Chermoulah sauce/marinade below, and marinate the chicken for at least 2 hours, or up to 24 hours ahead of time.

About one hour before you are ready to start cooking, take the chicken out of the fridge to allow it to come up to room temperature. Wipe off as much of the marinade as possible from each thigh, but make sure you wipe it into the bowl with the rest of the marinade – this will be the base of the cooking sauce.

Coat a somewhat deep sautee pan (that has a lid!) with olive oil and/or butter. Sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper on each thigh and cook over medium-high heat, slightly covered until the thighs are golden brown on the outside, and lift easily from the pan. Add the marinade to the pan with about 1 tbsp of water. Bring to a light boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for approximately 20-25 minutes, until it is fork tender. Towards the end, tast the sauce to make sure there is enough seasoning, and add salt to taste. If necessary let the chicken and sauce cook uncovered for a few minutes to reduce the liquid and concentrate the flavor.

Serve over a bed of basmati rice, and garnish with a lemon wedge. Enjoy!

NOTE: Schug, a.k.a. Yemeni hot sauce

The recipe for Schug, a Yemeni hot sauce, is almost the same as that for the Chermoulah marinade. All you need to do is reduce the garlic to 1 clove (instead of 4), and add a 1/2 tsp of sugar or honey. Use this delicious sauce as a condiment for eggs, sandwiches, soups….really anything that needs a “kick!”