Moroccan Chicken with Preserved Lemon & Olives

Ingredients

• 800 g bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 300 ml chicken stock
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsp runny honey
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp ras el hanout
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 preserved lemon, pulp discarded, rind finely sliced
• 100 g pitted green olives
• 15 g fresh coriander, roughly chopped
• Fine salt and black pepper
• 4 pitta breads
• 200 g chopped tomato, cucumber and lettuce salad, dressed with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp lemon juice

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 190°C / 170°C fan / Gas 5. Mix the ras el hanout, cumin, ground coriander, and cinnamon together in a small dish. Pat the chicken thighs dry with kitchen paper, season generously all over with salt and pepper and rub with half the spice blend.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large, oven-safe casserole over a high heat. Lay the thighs in skin-side down in two batches; don't crowd the pan, or the skin steams instead of crisping. Leave them undisturbed for 5–6 minutes until the skin is deeply burnished and releases cleanly, flip for 2 minutes on the other side, then lift onto a plate.
3. Pour off all but a tablespoon of the fat, drop the heat to medium, and add the sliced onions. Cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft, golden, and starting to catch at the edges; those caramelised edges are flavour you can't fake.
4. Stir in the crushed garlic and the remaining spice blend. Toast the spices in the oily onions for 30–60 seconds, just until fragrant. Don't let it burn.
5. Pour in the chicken stock and honey, scraping up every sticky brown bit from the base of the pan. Nestle the chicken thighs back in skin-side up so the skin sits proud of the liquid, then scatter the chickpeas, preserved lemon rind, and olives around them.
6. Transfer to the oven uncovered and cook for 35–40 minutes, until the skin is lacquered and crisp and the juices run clear when you pierce the thickest part of a thigh.
7. Rest for 5 minutes out of the oven. Taste the braising juices; the preserved lemons and olives carry a lot of salt, so check before you reach for the salt cellar, then adjust. Taste again.
8. Bring the casserole straight to the table, scatter the chopped coriander generously over the top, and serve with the warm pitta bread.