Low FODMAP Moroccan Chicken

Sometimes your taste buds just need a party...

And these flavors do not disappoint. The taste is somewhere between a gourmet meal from a foreign restaurant and Thanksgiving dinner. It has all the makings of a fancy comfort food! 

As I ate this meal I could taste the individual ingredients. Ginger, saffron, and orange each fought for the flavor spotlight. The result? A spicy sweet punch in your mouth that leaves you wanting more. And let me tell you, the smell of this fragrant chicken will fill your home and make everyone salivate.

I grew up with only white potatoes being used in roast type recipes, but my body doesn't tolerate them anymore. The rutabaga and sweet potato worked so well in this meal that I didn't miss white potatoes one bit.

 That's an accomplishment, because I loved potatoes. Using alternative root vegetables has added some much needed heartiness to my food. They taste wonderful, melding especially well with the poignant flavors. 

This chicken has to be one of my favorite chicken recipes of all time. It's just the sort of thing that makes you feel good each time you eat it. Most Moroccan chicken dishes have large amounts of garlic and onion in them, which makes them off-limits to those avoiding FODMAPs. Thankfully, this version is still bursting with flavor! Some garlic infused olive oil and green onion tops do just the trick. Get started with the recipe below!

Serves: 8-12

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour + 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 12 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 2 cups chopped carrots
• 1 rutabaga peeled and cubed
• 1 large Japanese sweet potato peeled and cubed
• 1 cup chopped green onion (green part only)
• 1/3 cup garlic infused olive oil
• 2 Tbs. grated fresh ginger
• 1 Tbs. dried rosemary
• 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 
• 1 1/2 tsp. turmeric
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 3 pinches of saffron strands
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1 Tbs. red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups homemade bone broth
• Freshly squeezed juice of one large orange
• 1 Tbs. maple syrup 
• 1/2 cup golden raisins 

*Update: We've found that if you take the leftover juices from the chicken pan and combine it with a can of pumpkin puree, it makes an amazing pasta sauce!

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F and take out a 9 by 13 inch glass baking dish.
2. Peel and cube the rutabaga and let boil in a medium sized pot for 30 minutes while preparing the remaining ingredients.
3. In a small pot, saute the green onion in the garlic infused olive oil ( *Note: you can make your own by adding 5 to 6 crushed garlic cloves to your oil and sauteing for 3 minutes on medium high).
4. Add ginger, rosemary, cinnamon, turmeric, cumin, saffron, sea salt, and pepper to the pot and stir occasionally for 3 minutes; set aside for 5 minuted to cool. This will be your "sauce".
5. Once cooled, add vinegar, bone broth, orange juice, maple syrup and stir until thoroughly incorporated.
6. Place chicken thighs, rutabaga, Japanese sweet potato, and carrots in a very large bowl.
7. Pour the sauce over your mixture and toss all ingredients until well coated.
8. Transfer the ingredients to your glass baking dish and place in the oven.
9. Bake for 1 hour, stirring and flipping the ingredients every 15 minutes.
10. In the last 10 minutes of baking, add the golden raisins and stir.

While this dish is a bit labor intensive, it is so worth it. This would be perfect for a Sunday afternoon meal, with leftovers for Monday. Enjoy!
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A Spunky Inquiry:
What are some recipes that you wish could be made into a paleo or low FODMAP version?