Moroccan Chicken with Preserved Lemons

Mirj's Note:

Submitted in response to a recipe request by Friedel.

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 lbs chicken thighs , skinned and rinsed
• 1 large chopped onion
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ cup kalamata olive (optional)
• 2 ½ moroccan preserved lemons , cut in quarters
• ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro (optional)

Directions:

1. Pour oil into a 10-12" frying pan over medium-high heat.
2. Add chicken and turn pieces often to brown on all sides, about 15 minutes.
3. Lift out chicken and set aside.
4. Remove all but 1 tablespoon oil from the pan.
5. Add the onion, stir often over medium-high heat until tinged with brown, about 5 minutes.
6. Stir in paprika, ginger, turmeric, and pepper.
7. Add 1 cup water, chicken, olives, 6 preserved lemon quarters, and 1 tablespoon preserved lemon liquid.
8. Cover pan and simmer, turning once, until meat is no longer pink at the bone (cut to test), about 20-25 minutes.
9. Skim and discard fat.
10. Transfer the chicken and sauce to a wide bowl.
11. Garnish chicken with remaining lemon wedges and cilantro.
12. NOTE: For less sodium, use ripe olives instead of calamatas.

Reviews

[drdi]

This has got to be one of the best dishes I have ever tasted! I changed the onions to shallots, and my preserved lemons were Meyer lemons, and I used a cut up chicken so that those who like only white meat could have it. But everything else was as is here, and it is beyond marvelouw! As a friend of mine says, "It tastes like more!", as in "I want more!"

[Chef #791727]

I just made this chicken last night for my husband. I did not eat any myself. The only changes I made were that I put garlic and olive oil on the chicken and let it sit for awhile. I did not skim the fat and did not use cilantro. Also, I let it cook about ten to fifteen minutes extra to thicken the sauce. My husband absolutely loved this chicken and wants me to make it every week! Thank you so much for this recipe!

[Chef #1302269]

this was delish! i also added a pinch of saffron threads, crumbled, to the chicken mixture. i omitted the olives. i served this with garlic noodles, that i added a bit of the preserved lemons & cilantro to.