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Moroccan Stuffed Chicken with Chinese Vermicelli

Stuffed Chicken with Chinese Vermicelli

Moroccan stuffed chicken with Chinese vermicelli is a distinctive dish that combines authentic flavors with a modern presentation. It features a rich taste, as whole chicken is prepared and filled with a delicious mixture of Chinese vermicelli and spices. It is often served at family occasions and large banquets because it combines an attractive appearance, a delicious taste, and ease of preparation that satisfies all tastes.
We accompany the dish with steamed or boiled vegetables seasoned with Moroccan chermoula, served with Moroccan bread and various beverages
This recipe makes 4 medium-sized stuffed chickens and is perfect for family gatherings, parties, and special occasions
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Marinating Time 12 hours
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 10
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: moroccan
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

💠1-Marinade Ingredients for 4 Chickens
  • 4 chickens each weighing 2 kg after cleaning
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 4 cloves garlic finely minced
  • 4 tbsp parsley
  • 100 g pitted olives
  • ½ preserved lemon
  • ½ tsp chili pepper or hot sauce (optional)
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup water
💠2-Chinese vermicelli filling ingredients
  • 4 Dried Vermicelli Nests (approx. 400g)
  • 200 g green olives, sliced into rings
  • 200 g chicken liver, cut into small pieces
  • 4 tbsp parsley
  • ½ preserved lemon finely chopped
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
💠3- Vegetable side dishes with chermoula marinade
  • 500 g carrot rounds
  • 500 g small eggplant
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp cumin (not full)
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • 8 tbsp finely chopped coriander and parsley
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • ¼ cup water
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
💠3- Potato salad
  • 500 g potato cubes
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
  • 2 tbsp vinegar
  • ½ small onion, finely minced
💠Chinese vermicelli as a side dish
  • Roast chicken drippings from the oven
  • 2 tbsp of chermoula marinade
  • 100 g round olives
  • ¼ preserved lemon finely minced

Equipment

  • Baking Tray: Oven Tray
  • Parchment Paper (Baking Paper).
  • Aluminum foil.
  • Food Processor:
  • Frying Pan (Skillet)
  • Large Mixing Bowl

Method
 

💠How to Wash the Chicken
  1. Take four chickens, wash them with water to remove blood, and soak them in a solution of approximately 3 liters of water, 3 tablespoons of salt, 2 lemons, and 1 tablespoon of ginger.
  2. Leave them for about half an hour, then remove the fat from their folds around the neck, thighs, and rear, as well as the slimy substance found between the skin and the meat of the chicken, specifically in the breast and thigh areas
    chicken marinated in water and ginger and vinegar in a marble kitchen
  3. Remove the blood clots inside the ribcage and any remaining feathers on the skin.
  4. Wash the chickens with regular water to get rid of the salt and lemon.
  5. Place them in a large colander to get rid of excess water and leave them to dry a little.
💠1- Preparing the chicken marinade
  1. In a food processor, place all the ingredients: olives, preserved lemon, spices, and oil until you get a marinade.
  2. If it is too thick, add a little water, about a quarter cup, to make it easier to coat the chicken.
    small bowl filled with marinade
  3. Dry the chicken slightly with kitchen paper towels to speed up the drying process so that the marinade sticks to the chicken well.
  4. Rub and work the marinade into all its folds, and between the skin and the meat.
    large plate full of seasoned chicken on the marble
  5. You can leave it in the refrigerator overnight without stuffing, or you can stuff it and put it in the refrigerator depending on your time and circumstances to make the preparation process easier for you.
💠2-Preparing the Chinese vermicelli and liver filling
  1. To prepare the chicken liver:
  2. Remove the veins from the chicken liver, wash it well, boil it in water with a bay leaf for only 5 minutes, cut it into small pieces, and let it cool slightly to firm up.
    half-boiled chicken liver with water and bay leaves and garlic
  3. To prepare the Chinese vermicelli filling: Pour hot water over the vermicelli and leave it for 5 minutes until it doubles in size. Strain it
    large bowl filled with Chinese vermicelli and boiling water
  4. and cut it with a knife into large pieces to make it easy to eat later.
    cutting the Chinese vermicelli with a knife on a wooden board
  5. Season the filling with the same spices used to season the chicken in the same quantities (salt, black pepper, ginger, turmeric, and paprika).
  6. Then add 2 cloves of finely minced garlic, chopped green olives, lemon, and minced parsley.
    large plate containing Chinese vermicelli and spices
  7. Divide the vermicelli into two halves; to one half, add the boiled chicken liver cut into small cubes and mix the ingredients well.
    large plate containing Chinese vermicelli mixed with spices, olives, and chopped liver
  8. Stuff the chicken with this filling until full, trying to close it with a toothpick.
    stuffing the chicken with the mixture of Chinese vermicelli and spices
  9. You can now cover the stuffed chicken with plastic wrap, then store it in the refrigerator until the next day.
    wrapping the chicken stuffed with Chinese vermicelli
  10. The other half of the vermicelli will serve as a side dish on the plate.
  11. Tie its legs and insert a toothpick into the wings so they stay attached to the chicken and do not burn.
  12. Bring a baking tray, place aluminum foil in it, then parchment paper in an amount that wraps around it.
  13. Place the chicken in the parchment paper on its breast or back,
    placing the chicken in a baking tray with parchment paper and aluminum foil
  14. then close it tightly.
    closing the aluminum foil on the seasoned and stuffed chicken
  15. Let it cook at a temperature of 200 for about an hour and a half in the oven broiler.
  16. After an hour and a half, insert a barbecue skewer into its breast; if clear juices come out, the chicken is done, but if it is pink or mixed with blood, it needs extra time.
  17. Generally, this duration makes the chicken done; this recommendation is based on the temperature and oven type, so cooking time varies, so pay attention.
  18. Remove the paper and strain the broth or juices we obtained from the chicken.
  19. Brush it with oil and let it brown at a temperature of 180 degrees for about 20 minutes, turning it on the sides.
    basting the roasted chicken with oil using a spoon
  20. You must not leave it in the oven for a long time so that it does not dry out; we just want to get a nice color and remove it.
💠3-Preparing the side dishes
  1. To prepare the potatoes: Cut the potatoes into cubes and boil them with a little salt or steam them.
  2. Strain them and let them cool to firm up.
  3. Add finely chopped parsley, black pepper, vinegar, two tablespoons of regular oil, and very finely minced onion.
  4. Taste them, and if they need more salt, adjust the salt to taste
    seasoning boiled potato cubes with parsley
  5. To prepare the chermoula marinade:
  6. Mix the chopped coriander with salt, cumin, paprika, garlic, oil, and water in a bowl.
    A bowl of Chermoula marinade in a light green bowl on a kitchen marble countertop
  7. Keep this marinade, as you will use it later with the carrots, eggplant, and vermicelli.
  8. Preparing a single marinade saves time and effort and ensures flavor balance in the dish.
💠To prepare the accompanying vermicelli:
  1. In a pan, place two tablespoons of chermoula marinade and let it cook for two minutes add the juices obtained from the roasted chicken and mix.
    Moroccan Chermoula in a stainless steel skillet.
  2. Then add the round olives and finely chopped preserved lemon; you can use hot sauce according to preference (optional).
  3. If the sauce is a bit liquid, let it thicken slightly, then add the other half of the seasoned vermicelli.
  4. Leave it over medium heat, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes or a little longer until you notice that it has absorbed all the flavors and is ready to serve.
    cooking the Chinese vermicelli in a pan with chermoula marinade
💠To prepare the carrots:
  1. Peel the carrots, wash them, cut them into rounds, and boil them with a little salt.
  2. Drain the carrots and let them cool to firm up.
  3. Place them in a pan with two tablespoons of chermoula, leave them for 5 minutes to absorb the marinade while stirring gently, and let them cool.
    seasoning carrot rounds with Moroccan chermoula in a stainless steel pan
  4. To know the details of preparing mchermel carrots, click here.
  5. 💠To prepare the eggplant:
  6. Choose small eggplants, wash them, and remove the small green leaves surrounding the cap while keeping the stem intact to maintain its nice shape after cooking, then cut each eggplant in half.
  7. Distribute the remaining chermoula evenly over the eggplant halves.
  8. I advise leaving the preparation of the eggplant until last so you can know how much chermoula is left for you and whether it will be enough.
  9. Place a teaspoon for each half and put it in the oven for 20 minutes or until tender.
  10. Test its doneness by inserting the tip of a knife into the flesh; if it enters easily, it means the eggplant is cooked.
    halves of small eggplant with chermoula cooked in a baking tray
💠4- Serving method
  1. Prepare a large round or oval serving plate.
  2. First, arrange washed and dried lettuce leaves.
  3. Place the chicken in the center, and distribute the potatoes opposite each other on both sides.
  4. Then arrange the carrots in the same way, along with the vermicelli prepared in the pan and the eggplant halves.
  5. Repeat the same arrangement on the opposite side.
  6. Garnish with cheese cubes and olives.
  7. Serve it with roasted tomato and pepper salad, green olives, bread, and carbonated drinks. Enjoy your meal!

Notes

 
  • The soaking process is essential for Moroccans; it gives the chicken a distinct taste and makes it tender when cooked. This method is adopted in all chicken recipes.
  • If a large amount of salt is placed in the soaking solution, you can skip using salt in the marinade, relying only on the olives and preserved lemon.
  • It should not be left to soak for a long time so that it does not become too salty; we must pay attention.
  • You can marinate the chicken and use it immediately depending on your available time.
  • The reason for separating the chicken marinade ingredients from the filling marinade is to account for different preparation conditions. You might not have time to prepare the filling on the same day, so some people suffice with marinating the chicken and leaving it in the refrigerator, then preparing the filling the next day. Therefore, the ingredients were separated so it is easy to know the appropriate amount of spices for each stage without needing to recalculate or feel confused during preparation.
  • The marinating duration (12 hours) is optional, but it gives the chicken a deeper flavor and a more tender texture. It can be cooked immediately if time is not available.
Moroccan Stuffed Chicken with Chinese Vermicelli