Somewhere back a few posts I mentioned that I’d love to be involved with Gourmet Garden, because I use their herbs and spices in a lot of my cooking. When the opportunity came up to be involved in the “Best Blogger Come Chef” comp, I thought that there was just a touch of serendipity there! Thus over the last few days I’ve been thinking about what I could enter that was a 100% original Last Chance Training effort and still remain true to my desire to make my food fit in with all things health and fitness.
May I present to you, today’s effort – “Roast Moroccan Lemon Chicken with Date and Chilli Israeli Couscous”. It’s a mouthful to read, but it tasted delicious!
Here goes:
Gourmet Garden Moroccan spice paste, Gourmet Garden Hot Chilli Paste, Medjool dates, an RSPCA approved chook, lemon, onion (which didn’t make it into the eventual product) and Israeli (gourmet pearl) couscous feature in this recipe.
As well as pumpkin, dressed with Gourmet Garden Moroccan spice mix, sea salt, a touch of olive oil and cracked black pepper, ready to roast with the chook.
I prepared the couscous and added Gourmet Garden Chilli paste, Moroccan spice mix, lemon rind and Medjool dates (chopped).
I dressed the chicken, spreading Gourmet Garden Moroccan spice paste and lemon slices under the skin. I also coated the top of the chook with the remaining spice mix and stuck lemon slices between the legs and body.
Then I roasted the chicken and covered it with foil for most of the baking process to retain moisture, then crisped up the skin at the end by removing the foil.
The couscous stuffing was inserted before the chicken was roasted.
The end result was a dinner that tasted amazing!
Can’t wait to see what I whip up tomorrow night!
Have you ever used Gourmet Garden herbs and spices? Big thumbs up from moi 
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
Yum! Love Moroccan flavours; will give this a go for sure.
Let me know what you think!
When I saw the title of your recipe, I just had to come and have a look…now I’m drooling…YUM!!!
I’m having heaps of fun playing around in the kitchen with the Gourmet Garden herbs and spices!
Pearl couscous! Heavenly! Dates! Chili! Chicken! Stealing this….
I use fresh stuff because I got spoilt in Indonesia. No going back, sorry. I see the convenience etc, but…
Yummo that looks so awesome. Will give it a burly after comp
Cool Jude, check out my Thai salmon today
Looks superb! So all you put on the outside of the chook was the spice mix? So golden and yummy looking!
Both inside and outside the skin – I slid the lemon slices under the skin
deeeeelish!!!
Yeessss!!!
Must say that I’m a long time Gourmet Garden user, but only of the Italian herbs and the chili so this campaign has been opening my eyes to other things. Looks lovely!
I think you’d really enjoy it!
Liz, this looks delicious! And that is even coming from someone who no longer eats chicken
I do love the sound of the couscous on its own and will be giving it a go I think…
The couscous is the best part!
OMG – YUM!!!
Thank you