WEEK 17: YOUR BEST STEW WITH OLIVES
Braised Moroccan Chicken and Olives
Photography by Sarah Shatz
BY SONALI | SERVES 4
A&M: This is a pitch-perfect take on a classic dish. Sonali assembles a mouth-tingling spice mixture of ginger, garlic, coriander, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cayenne, and saffron, and then adds green olives and preserved lemons to the party. The chicken is browned in oil and then coated in the spice base before simmering gently in chicken stock until tender. Adding the lemons and olives toward the end helps retain their integrity and perfume.
4 tablespoons canola oil
2½ pounds chicken legs and thighs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1½ cups finely diced onion
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1½ teaspoons paprika
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 to 3 cups chicken stock
¼ teaspoon saffron threads
½ cup green olives, rinsed
2 preserved lemons, pulp removed and discarded; rind cut into strips
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
Couscous, for serving
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a Dutch oven or a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Dry the chicken pieces and season them with salt and pepper. Working in batches, place them in the skillet and brown on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes per batch (take your time with this step, and don’t be tempted to turn up the heat, as you do not want the chicken pieces to burn). Remove the chicken and place on a plate.
- Add the onion to the skillet and cook until slightly softened. Add the ginger, garlic, coriander, cumin, paprika, turmeric, and cayenne, and stir together. Add the chicken pieces and stir to coat with the spice mixture. Pour the chicken stock into the skillet so that two-thirds of the chicken is submerged. Add the saffron and stir to combine. Bring the liquid to a simmer, cover the skillet, turn the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the olives and preserved lemons. Cover and cook another 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken and turn the heat to high. Cook for another 6 to 8 minutes until the sauce reduces slightly. Stir in the cilantro. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
- Serve the chicken on a bed of couscous. Spoon the sauce over the top. Garnish with additional cilantro.
Photography by Sarah Shatz
TIPS AND TECHNIQUES
You may want to discard some of the fat after browning the chicken (this will depend on the meat you buy)—we kept about 2 tablespoons. And couscous is a must. We used our favorite couscous (M’hemsa from Les Moulins, Mahjoub; available online), and it was such a perfect foil for the rich, spicy sauce that we couldn’t resist forking up every last grain.
Cordelia said: “I would recommend that if you don’t have preserved lemons, just use fresh unpeeled lemon slices and add them in earlier when cooking. If you want to make sure they won’t be too bitter, you can poach the slices in boiling water for a few minutes before adding them to the chicken.”
ABOUT THE COOK
Sonali Ruder is a physician at a trauma center in Manhattan and culinary student who has a knack for winning cooking competitions, at Food52 and elsewhere. See her Autumn Celeriac (Celery Root) Puree and her Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Onions and Goat Cheese recipes. Here’s her blog: The Foodie Physician (www.thefoodiephysician.com).
Her favorite cooking tip: “Toast your own spices and then grind them—they’ll be so much more aromatic than buying preground spices.”
WHAT THE COMMUNITY SAID
Maryvelasquez: “I made this last night and I loved it. It was worth the effort to get a hold of the preserved lemons. I’ve never cooked with them before, but I will always have them around the house from now on.”