Make Ahead

Moroccan Chicken with Preserved Lemons

December 11, 2012
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  • Serves 3
Author Notes

This is a tomatoey, sweetly spiced yet savoury chicken stew, and a great way to cook up cheap cuts of chicken like drumsticks and thighs, as I have used here. I always use free-range or organic chicken, it almost goes without saying this. For people who say free-range or organic chicken is too expensive, well, if you buy thighs and drumsticks rather than breast then it's much more affordable. —Well Worn Whisk

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 6 free-range or organic chicken thighs
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 3 preserved lemons, sliced
  • 1 can or tin of chopped tomatoes
  • 250 milliliters hot chicken stock
  • 1 handful flaked almonds
  • freshly ground black pepper
Directions
  1. Toss your chicken pieces in the spices and a drizzle of oil. If you can, leave this for an hour or so, or even overnight. Not to worry if you can't, it doesn't make that much difference.
  2. Heat a little oil and brown your chicken in a frying pan over a high heat to get colour and flavour on the skin - and in the pan. Take out once browned and put to one side.
  3. Turn down heat to low/medium and add your chopped onion. Sweat for about 15 minutes and add your garlic for a further 5. Use a wooden spoon to scrape all the meaty charred bits off the bottom. Be careful not to burn your onions or garlic.
  4. Put your chicken back in with the onions and garlic. Add your hot chicken stock, tomatoes, lemons (or apricots), and runny honey and bring to the boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook with the lid off to help it thicken for about an hour.
  5. Stir (getting all the flavoursome bits from around the pan) and grind in some pepper, as well as tossing some flaked almonds in - you won't need to season with salt as the preserved lemons are very salty. If it's nice and thick and the chicken is cooked (take a piece out and cut into it to check), then it's ready.
  6. This is very nice served with cous cous and also some yoghurt sauce (half a pot of natural yoghurt with a clove of minced garlic and a sprinkle of paprika and cumin - let it down with a little milk and add a sprinkle of salt).

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