Moroccan Chicken

If you ever wonder where I get my love of cooking, you simply have to look to the foodies who raised me.  Tonight I want to share one of my favorite dishes that Mom makes when I mooch food at their place.  The spice combo in this is out of this world and it's a great savory use of cinnamon.

Mom's Supercharged SoBeach Moroccan Lemon Chicken

2-3 skinless boneless chicken breasts
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne
1 large lemon, for zest and 1 tbsp juice
4 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 small zucchini, thinly sliced
1/3 cup green olives, sliced
2 tbsp water
salt and pepper to taste

Cut off the extra skin ick from the chicken breasts and either (1) place them between two sheets of wax paper and pound the badoozies out of them until they're about 1/4" thick or (2) cut the breasts into thin fillets.  I find the easiest way to do the latter is is cut the breasts into two pieces and then carefully slice the halves into two thinner halves. Using a very sharp knife is key in this scenario.

In a small bowl mix the spices and then grate some zest from the lemon into the mixture.

Add lemon juice and 3 tsp of olive oil to the spice mix and blend well.

Put the chicken pieces into a small bowl and coat with the spice mix.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, cook the coated chicken breasts for about 3-4 minutes per side until blackened and cooked through.  Remove from the skillet and lightly cover to keep warm.

Add the remaining 1 tsp of oil to the skillet and cookd the onion slices, scraping the browned bits from the pan as you stir them.  Cook for about 2-3 minutes until translucent.

Add the zucchini and olives to the skillet with 2 tbsp of water.  Cover and cook the veggies about 4-5 minutes until the zucchini is tender.

Squeeze on a bit more lemon to zazz it up, scoop into a dish and serve with the chicken pieces.  [Insert happy tummy dance here.]