CHICKEN THIGHS with ARTICHOKES, LEMON and OLIVES

Just another exotic dish!

I usually cook this type of dishes in a Tajine (Moroccan style cooking) but today i’ll be giving you this recipe that is conveniently cooked using a cast iron skillet. 

The infuse meat, aromatic spices, savory onions, and tangy olives, topped with homemade preserved lemon… amazingly delicious!

WHAT YOU NEED

• 2 Lbs of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs 

• 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• 1 Teaspoon of of unsalted butter

• 2 medium Vidalia onion thinly sliced 

• Saffron stock. (1/2 cup of hot water and a pinch of Saffron threads) and let it sit 

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 can of artichoke bottoms, drain.

• 1 Small preserved lemon skin thinly sliced and flesh discarded 

• 1 Cup green olives 

• 1 Tablespoon honey

• 1 Teaspoon harissa

  Marinade

• 1 Teaspoon Hungarian paprika

• 1 Teaspoon ground ginger

• 1 Teaspoon cumin

• 1/2 Teaspoon of cinnamon

• 1 Teaspoon dry thyme

• 1 tablespoon fresh coriander roughly chopped

• 2 Garlic cloves finely grated

• 2 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• White pepper

• Pinch of flaky salt

HOW TO MAKE IT

Let’s start with the marinade. In a bowl rub chicken thighs with grated garlic, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, ginger, thyme, salt, white pepper, chopped coriander and olive oil together, mix, cover in the fridge for at least 1 hour. If you like, marinate this overnight.

Now, rinse preserved lemon well. Discard the flesh, cut peel into strips.

Next heat olive oil and knob of butter in heavy skillet or Cocotte. Add onions, pinch of salt and brown over medium-low heat about 10 min. When tender and translucent add preserved lemons and give it a mix for 3 min then transfer to plate and set aside.

In the same pan add olive oil followed by chicken skin side down first and sear. Allow the skin to crisp up about 5 minutes, then flip to cook the other side about 3 minutes. Then add artichokes, olives, cooked onions/preserved lemons mix, honey, harissa and Saffron stock over the chicken. Then continue cooking over low heat for 35 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Voilà! You got yourself a rustic Moroccan dish.

NOTE

Easy on the salt, the olives and preserved lemons are already salty

Can be served over rice, couscous, pasta.

You can substitute  thighs with with chicken breast or drumsticks

This dish stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.