Chtitha Djedj (Chicken Chtitha) is a traditional Algerian recipe for a classic dish of chicken stewed with chickpeas, that's flavoured with garlic and onion and served with meatballs and sliced omelette. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Algerian version of: Chicken Chtitha (Chtitha Djedj).
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Ingredients:
1 chicken, cut into serving pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 head of garlic, cloves peeled
100g dried chickpeas
250g minced meat
2 tbsp smen or clarified butter
1 cinnamon stick
1 chicken stock cube
2 chillies, finely sliced
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
1 omelette, made from 3 eggs, fried and cut into strips
Method:
Wash the chickpeas, place in a large bowl, cover with plenty of water and set aside to soak over night. The following day, heat the smen (or butter) in a casserole dish or tagine. Add the chicken, onion, chillies, cinnamon and stock cube.
Fry for a couple of minutes then pour over just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer then add the garlic and drained chickpeas. Return to a simmer, cover and cook for about 25 minutes.
After this time, form the minced meat into little balls. Carefully place these in the cooking sauce and allow to poach for 15 minutes. Remove the chicken pieces, chickpeas and the meatballs and set aside to keep warm.
Bring the liquid in the pan to a boil and reduce until thick.
Arrange the chicken, meatballs and chickpeas on a serving dish. Pour over the reduced stock and garnish with the strips of omelette. Serve immediately.
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