Lemon Chicken with Moroccan Olives, Pine Nuts, Toasted Garlic and Couscous
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 2 3-pound chickens
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper
- chopped chives, scallions or cilantro leaves (for garnish)
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups medium-grain couscous
- 1 medium carrot, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1/2 onion diced
- 1/2 zucchini, cut to 1/4-inch dice
- 1 tablespoon turmeric
- 4 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
- pinch of saffron
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 lemons, juiced (use Moroccan preserved lemons, chopped, if available)
- 1/2 tablespoon roughly chopped cilantro leaves
- 2 teaspoons freshly chopped ginger
- pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
Moroccan Olive and Pine Nut Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons melted chicken fat (from roasted chicken)
- 5 tablespoons grated white onion
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- pinch of saffron
- 1/3 cup sliced Moroccan green olives
- 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 quart check stock, reduced to 2 cups
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves
- salt and pepper
Directions
- Bring chicken stock to a simmer.
- In a large saute pan, sweat carrot, red pepper, onion and zucchini until tender.
- Add saffron, turmeric and stock.
- Place dry couscous in a large bowl and pour vegetable stock mixture over it. Stir to combine.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let stand approximately 15 minutes.
- Mix ingredients and coat chickens. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for 6 to 24 hours.
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Season chickens with salt and pepper inside and out and truss.
- Heat ovenproof roasting pan over high heat on stove.
- Add olive oil.
- Brown chickens in pan until golden on all sides.
- Place in oven and roast for 50 minutes or until juices are pale yellow.
- Remove chickens from roasting pan and set aside.
- Pour fat out of pan, reserving about 3 tablespoons for sauce (recipe follows).
Moroccan Olive and Pine Nut Sauce:
- To the 3 tablespoons of fat left in pan after chicken is roasted, add grated onion, garlic and ginger and cook until onion just begins to brown.
- Add crushed red pepper, saffron, olives and pine nuts, and deglaze with lemon juice.
- Add honey and reduced chicken stock, and reduce by half.
- Finish sauce with butter, parsley, cilantro and salt and pepper to taste.
- Reserve, keeping warm.
- Brown chickens further under broiler if necessary.
- Remove trussing and carve. (Chickens can be served whole.)
- Serve with couscous.
- Drizzle sauce over chicken, and garnish with chopped chives, scallions or cilantro leaves.
- Drizzle sauce over chicken, and garnish with chopped chives, scallions or cilantro leaves.
