Chicken Thighs with Preserved Lemon and Olives
A Moroccan-inspired one-pan wonder. Salty preserved lemons, briny olives, and impossibly juicy chicken — this pan does all the work.
Main Dish · Prep 10 min · Cook 35 min · Serves 4 · Easy · By Tina · Published
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
- 1 preserved lemon, rind only, sliced
- 100 g green olives, Castelvetrano preferred
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 200 ml chicken stock
- 1 tsp cumin
- 0.5 tsp turmeric
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped
If you have never cooked with preserved lemons, this is the recipe to start with. They have this intense, floral, salty lemon flavor that fresh lemons just cannot replicate. Combined with green olives and chicken thighs, it is a flavor combination that is both exotic and deeply comforting.
This is a one-pan dinner — sear the chicken, build the sauce in the same pan, nestle everything together, and finish in the oven. The juices from the chicken mix with the olives and preserved lemon to create this sauce that you will want to drink.
I first had something like this at a tiny restaurant in Marrakech and spent months trying to recreate it. This is pretty close.
Pro Tips
- Preserved lemons are salty. Rinse them and use only the rind, not the flesh. And go easy on the salt elsewhere.
- Green Castelvetrano olives are ideal — buttery and mild. Kalamata works but is more intense.
- Use bone-in, skin-on thighs. Boneless will be good but not as juicy.
- Let the chicken rest in the sauce for 5 minutes after it comes out of the oven. It absorbs even more flavor.
Serving
Serve straight from the pan with crusty bread or over couscous. Scatter with fresh cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lemon.
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