When I roasted a chicken yesterday, in my head I had a plan for the pieces. Thighs were going to be some version of chicken cacciatore, and the breasts & bits were going to be fajitas and chicken salad. I needed to be careful, though, because the lemon flavor from the roast came through quite well, and I didn’t want to compete with that flavor – rather, I’d like to compliment it. Then I came across this recipe, from Elise Bauer at Simply Recipes, and sort of fell in love. Raisins! Olives! Spice blend! and lemon was a part of the flavor suite.
I wish that I could explain to you how good this smelled cooking. Or even just how good the rub smells. Sweet and smoky and ohmygoodness delicious. Additionally, this is a really pretty dish – totally “company’s coming!” worthy. I almost called people to come over for dinner to wow them with the aroma as the walked in the door and so I could take the lid off of the pan with flourish. Instead….I decided getting to eat this twice was going to be more rewarding in the long run.
I halved the recipe (roughly) to account for my only having 2 thighs to work with and because I am only one person. I also do not own preserved lemons and so just used normal lemon, and added white wine and craberries to the mix with the reasoning of, “why not?” As my first foray into voluntarily cooking myself something with bones in it, this was a complete success. Also, since my chicken was already cooked, this came together really quickly, which was a nice perk.
Adapted from Simply Recipes: Moroccan chicken with Lemons and Olives
Rub: 1 tsp paprika 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1/2 tsp tumeric 1/4 tsp cinnamon Everything else: 2 chicken thighs 1 Tbsp olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 onion, chopped 3 thin slices of lemon, halved 1/2 c green olives, pitted 1/2 c white wine 1/2 c water (as needed) 1/4 c raisins and dried cranberries 2 T chopped fresh cilantro 2 T chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley SaltDry the chicken pieces and put in the bowl. Combine all the spices and rub into the chicken thighs. Allow the chicken to sit for ~ 1 hr in the rub.
In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil on medium high heat. Add the chicken pieces skin side down, sprinkle lightly with salt, and brown, ~ 5mins. Lower the heat to medium-low, add the garlic and onions. Cover and let cook for 15 minutes. (If using already cooked chicken, say from a whole roast, let cook for ~5 mins until the onion is soft.)
Turn chicken pieces over. Add the lemon slices, olives, raisins, cranberries and wine. Bring to a simmer on medium heat, then lower the heat to low, cover, and cook for an additional 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and quite tender. If the liquid evaporates off too quickly, add some water in as needed. (Again, if your chicken is already cooked through, ~15mins will be sufficient to allow the flavors to combine.)
Mix in fresh parsley and cilantro right before serving. Adjust seasonings to taste.
