About This Dish
A refined Fassi preparation where chicken is braised in a generous amount of olive oil with saffron and ginger until the meat is meltingly tender and the sauce is deeply golden and concentrated. M'qualli is distinguished from other chicken preparations by the lavish use of olive oil and the absence of tomato. The sauce is rich, silky, and intensely flavored from the slow reduction. This is home-cooking at its most elegant — a dish that requires nothing more than a few exceptional ingredients, time, and patience. It is the chicken dish that Fassi cooks are most proud of.
Ingredients
- 1 Whole chicken, quartered
- 100 ml Olive oil
- 2 Onions, grated
- 1/2 tsp Saffron threads
- 1 tsp Ground ginger
- to taste Salt and pepper
- 1 cup Water
- to taste Preserved lemon and olives (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Season chicken with salt, pepper, saffron, and ginger.
- 2
Place in a pot with olive oil, grated onions, and water.
- 3
Cover and simmer on very low heat for 1 hour, turning occasionally.
- 4
Uncover and cook 15 minutes to reduce the sauce until golden and concentrated.
- 5
Optional: add preserved lemon and olives in the last 10 minutes.
Tips & Tricks
- The generous olive oil is essential — it becomes the sauce.
- Very low heat and patience produce the silkiest result.
- The sauce should coat the back of a spoon when done.