Moroccan Chicken Nuggets with Tahini dipping sauce

Unlike traditional nuggets these lightly-spiced, juicy bites are not deep fried. Instead they are drizzled with a layer of olive oil and placed in a hot oven for 20 minutes. The result is a crunchy, tasty and speedy mid-week meal that is not boring. I adore tahini spread, and to many people’s surprise, it’s not the same as tahini from the jar. It needs to be doctored with a good deal of lemon juice, olive oil, salt and water to allow it’s true light to shine.

Ingredients:

1 kg chicken mince (aka ground chicken)

1/2 cup parsley minced

1 cup Panko breadcrumbs

2 eggs

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon turmeric

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons salt

1 cup tahini

1/4 cup olive oil

Juice of 2 lemons

3/4 – 1 cup water

Couscous for serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F.

Make nuggets by combining chicken, panko, eggs, spices, parsley and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt into bowl. Use your hands to mix well but don’t over mix.

Line two baking sheets with parchment and roll chicken into small, apricot-sized balls. Drizzle with olive oil and place in preheated oven.

Make tahini sauce:

Combine tahini, olive oil, lemon juice and remaining 1/2 tsp salt in a bowl and use a whisk to mix well. Slowly add water in a steady stream. It’s OK if it seems as though your sauce is separating: it’s not, just keep going adding more water and whisking until you get a smooth, creamy consistency. The sauce should be the consistency of sour cream, a little bit runny but not fully liquid. adjust seasonings, lemon juice, salt content.

Remove nuggets from oven and serve over sauce with a side of couscous. Enjoy!