Thread: Bland Moroccan-Spiced Chicken

"phaeton" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> This seems to happen a lot when i use the slow cooker. Up front is
> the recipe:
>
> 0.5 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
> 3.5-4.0 pounds meaty chicken pieces (breast halves, thighs,
> drumsticks, etc... skinned)
>
> 1.5 teaspoons ground cumin
> 1.0 teaspoon salt
> 0.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
> 0.5 teaspoon ground coriander
> 0.25 teaspoon ground turmeric
> 0.25 teaspoon ground black pepper
>
> 1) Pour broth into the slow cooker.
> 2) Mix all the spices together in a bowl, sprinkle them over the
> chicken and rub in with your fingers.
> 3) Place chicken into cooker
> 4) Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or high for 3 to 4 hours.
>
>
> I opted for the "Low for 8 hours" extreme. The chicken was a tad
> overcooked- not exactly mushy, but not as firm as I like. But mainly,
> it was pretty flavorless. For one, the chicken released about 0.5L of
> liquid (which meant all but the top few pieces were submerged, and i
> think it washed a lot of the seasonings off. Also, do longer cook
> times weaken the spices? If I were to go for "hi for 3 hours" will it
> have more 'oomph' and less liquid?
>
> I'm not sure what I could have done wrong otherwise. I used precise
> measurements and times. I'm under the impression that most recipes in
> books are correct (or will at least turn out as intended in the
> book). It's still edible of course, but boring.
>
> Thanks

Slow cookers tend to cook out the seasonings. I find I often need to add
more at the end of the cooking.

On Sun, 23 Jan 2011 19:54:15 -0800 (PST), phaeton
<[email protected]> wrote:

> I'm not sure what I could have done wrong otherwise. I used precise
> measurements and times. I'm under the impression that most recipes in
> books are correct (or will at least turn out as intended in the
> book). It's still edible of course, but boring.

Do not be afraid, Grasshopper! Ask yourself if you liked the recipe
enough to try it again. *That* is the essential question.

You did noting wrong if you followed the recipe. Not every one of
them is a keeper, you know that! Edible and boring isn't a good sign.
The real question is - did you like it enough to *want* to tweak it to
your specific tastes? Most people do that. They try a recipe as
written the first time and adjust it up or down of they had a problem
with the first time result.

I know nothing about slow cooker cooking but... did you add any salt
at the table? If it brightened up the flavor, then salt was the
problem. Did you taste at all while it was cooking? Unless you're
absolutely confident in the recipe, that's a good cook tastes... and
you know they always taste at least once to adjust the seasonings
anyway. By the sounds of how you thought the texture of the chicken
was, it sounds like they built "tasting" into the published cooking
time (lid off, lid on, and bring back to the proper temp to continue
the cooking process).

If you thought the seasoning was weak, then it's obvious you needed to
add more of everything. Try doubling all the spices except salt and
perhaps, cumin. Increase cumin by .5 tsp or double if you think
that's what you want (but don't over do the salt because you can add,
but you can't take away). If it turns out to be over seasoned, then
you know you need to back down on whatever seasoning you thought was
too much the next time. It's not brain surgery, just a process of
experimentation.

Good Luck and Happy Eating!


--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

On Sun, 23 Jan 2011 19:54:15 -0800 (PST), phaeton
<[email protected]> wrote:

>I opted for the "Low for 8 hours" extreme. The chicken was a tad
>overcooked- not exactly mushy, but not as firm as I like. But mainly,
>it was pretty flavorless. For one, the chicken released about 0.5L of
>liquid (which meant all but the top few pieces were submerged, and i
>think it washed a lot of the seasonings off. Also, do longer cook
>times weaken the spices? If I were to go for "hi for 3 hours" will it
>have more 'oomph' and less liquid?

Was the chicken previously frozen?

A crock isn't much different from a tagine, and both keep the moisture
trapped in the vessel. Most of my tagine experience points to about 3
hours rather then 8, started cold and cooked at 275-300. Meat should
be falling off the bone tender and well seasoned.

HTH

Alex

On 1/23/2011 10:54 PM, phaeton wrote:
> This seems to happen a lot when i use the slow cooker. Up front is
> the recipe:
>
> 0.5 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
> 3.5-4.0 pounds meaty chicken pieces (breast halves, thighs,
> drumsticks, etc... skinned)
>
> 1.5 teaspoons ground cumin
> 1.0 teaspoon salt
> 0.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
> 0.5 teaspoon ground coriander
> 0.25 teaspoon ground turmeric
> 0.25 teaspoon ground black pepper
>
>

When I make Moroccan chicken I use sliced onions, fresh garlic,
fresh grated ginger, paprika, parsley, cilantro, salt and pepper.

When it is nearly done, I add kalamata olives and potatoes (and
maybe some peas). Sometimes instead of putting potatoes in the pot,
I make french fries. I will also, on occasion add some preserved lemon.

I don't particularly care for cumin in chicken recipes. I will add
it to beef or lamb tagines though.


Tracy
(I don't use a slow cooker - just a regular dutch oven. Takes about
an hour and 15 minutes usually.)

I haven't given up on the recipe (I rarely do that). I'm just unsure
if I did something wrong, or if I need some way to suspend the chicken
up above any rising liquids.

Next time I might increase all the spices except cumin.



I still love my crock pot, but sometimes it's time inefficient in
other ways. This is exactly the sort of thing that one should
probably make in an oven (or tangine) instead of a crock pot. A lot
of the stews and things (like corned beef) I used to make in the
crockpot I now make on top of the stove, because it seems like I'm
trading a lot of time to save a little bit of effort, and it often
turns out better.

-J