This Middle Eastern Stew recipe is my own creation from a mishmash of inspiration from chefs like Sabrina Ghayour and Yotam Ottolenghi, plus a chance restaurant visit in Amsterdam!
Middle Eastern Chicken Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts or 6 chicken thighs would also work well
- 5 cloves of black garlic
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- 1 heaped teaspoon dried oregano
- 600 ml chicken stock I used 3 chicken oxo's in 600ml hot water
- 3 large white potatoes
- 2 medium cooking onions
- 2 heaped tablespoons raisins
- 1 medium chilli or 1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
- 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon honey
- 1 inch chunk of ginger finely diced
- 1 tin green lentils
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes and dice into roughly 1 1/2 inch pieces (just more than a mouthful).
- Peel and dice the onions.
- Dice the ginger as finely as you can.
- In a casserole dish (or slow cooker/pressure cooker) place all the ingredients bar the chicken stock together, and mix so the vegetables and chicken are fully coated.
- Pour over the chicken stock and cook on a medium heat for 2 1/2 hours (if using a slow cooker or pressure cooker see above for altered cooking times). Check regularly to make sure it isn't drying out, and add a dash more water if it is.
- Once cooked, take 2 forks and pull the meat apart and mix well.
- Serve, and enjoy!
What Does Middle Eastern Stew Taste Like?
This recipe is my own chicken stew recipe, adapted using flavours used by Ottolenghi. So expect big fragrant flavours.
It's sweet and sour (but not in the Chinese way) and slightly spicy too, so is a great Winter warmer!
What Do You Serve With Middle Eastern Stew?
Serving suggestions for this recipe are super simple!
The best thing to eat with this middle eastern stew is fresh crusty bread. You can also serve the stew with rice or couscous.
Middle Eastern Chicken Stew Inspiration
We have recently got back from a lovely trip to Amsterdam. One night while walking along the beautiful streets of the Jordaan, looking for somewhere to eat, we passed the most amazing smell!
It was like something out of a cartoon where Tom and Jerry are hypnotised by the smell of freshly cooked food.
It was amazing, but when we got to the source it turned out to be a tiny corner shop Deli. We didn't think we'd be able to eat there, so carried on looking but nothing could shake that smell, so we doubled back for a closer look.
Inside there were just 4 tables, but you could actually eat at the Deli, much to our delight!
The Deli was called Rainarai. As you walked in there was a large chilled cabinet full of vegetarian and meat dishes, with rice and couscous, and spiced vegetables. You ordered 1 meat, 2 vegetables, with rice or couscous.
It was then heated and served to you at your table. There were also locals calling in, where it would be placed in a takeaway box to be re-heated at home.
The menu changes daily and is always freshly cooked. The flavours were incredible and it felt so fresh and tasty. I came home desperate to try cooking with similar flavours, packed with spices and heat but all simple, fresh and low fat.
Flavours Inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi
Rainarai takes it's inspiration from Nomadic North African cuisine, it also reminded me of the Middle Eastern cuisine you see from chefs like Yotam Ottolenghi and Sabrina Ghayour.
So when we got home, having picked up sniffles and a cold (no doubt from the flight) I decided to try a warming winter stew, which featured some of the ingredients used by these chefs.
This was exciting as I had been desperate to use my black garlic and pomegranate molasses, but had struggled to find a recipe to use them in.
This recipe is my own chicken stew recipe, adapted using flavours used by Ottolenghi.
It's sweet and sour (but not in the Chinese way) and slightly spicy too, so is a great Winter warmer!
Slow Cooker Middle Eastern Casserole
I used my Sage Fast Slow Pro (which I LOVE) for this middle eastern stew recipe.
I set it to high for 2 hours. But this could easily be cooked in the oven or slow cooker too. On the hob/oven, I would cook for 2 1/2 hours and in the slow cooker I would cook for 4.
I garnished the casserole with rose petals and pomegranate to make it look pretty and add extra sweetness. But this is optional.
This is so beautiful and I bet it tastes amazing too x