Moroccan Chicken with Preserved Lemon & Olives

• 4large bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, about 800 g total
• 240 gdrained chickpeas (from a 400 g tin), rinsed
• 300 mlchicken stock
• 1 tspground cumin
• ½ tspground cinnamon
• 2onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 3garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsprunny honey
• 3 tbspolive oil
• 2 tspras el hanout
• 1 tspground coriander
• 1preserved lemon, pulp discarded, rind finely sliced
• 100 gpitted green olives
• 15 gfresh coriander, roughly chopped
• Fine salt and black pepper
• 4pitta breads (optional)
• 200 gchopped tomato, cucumber and lettuce salad, dressed with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp lemon juice (optional)

Method

1. 1Preheat 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. 2Heat 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. 3Pour off all but a tablespoon of the fat, drop the heat to medium, and add the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and 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. 4Stir 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. 5Pour 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. 6Transfer to the oven uncovered and cook for 35–40 minutes, until the skin is lacquered and crisp and the thickest meat away from the bone reaches 75°C for 30 seconds.
7. 7Rest 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. 8Scatter the coriander over the chicken and serve one thigh per person with chickpeas and sauce. Add the optional warmed pitta and dressed chopped salad if using.

Per serving

kcal

524

protein

46.3g

fibre

7.6g

carbs

28.7g

fat

24.2g