Moroccan Chicken with Lemon & Olives
Chicken, Ethnic
Ingredients
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 chicken 3-4 lbs, cut into 8 pieces (or 3-4 lbs of just chicken thighs and legs, the dark meat is more flavorful)
3 cloves garlic minced
1 onion chopped
The rind from 1 preserved lemon rinsed in cold water, pulp discarded, rind cut into thin strips (if you don't have preserved lemon, use whole thin slices of regular lemon)
1 cup green olives pitted
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Directions
1. Combine all the spices in a large bowl. Pat dry the chicken pieces and put in the bowl, coat well with the spice mixture. (You may want to rub the spices in wearing a rubber glove.) Let the chicken stand for one hour in the spices.
2. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet (or Ninja) on high heat. Place chicken skin side down for 10-15 minutes, until lightly browned. Turn over & brown the other side. Lower the heat to medium, add the garlic and onions over the chicken. Cover and let cook for 20 minutes.
3. Add the lemon strips, olives, raisins, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a simmer on medium heat, then lower the heat to low, cover, and cook for an additional 30-45 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and quite tender.
4. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and cilantro right before serving.
Serve with couscous, rice, or rice pilaf.
Top with diced tomatoes & cucumbers.
Notes
Used my Ninja for the whole thing — just used the stovetop setting.
For the olives, I used some prepared olive tapenade from a jar.
My raisins were old & hard, so boiled the ½ cup water & poured it over the raisins to soften them.