The chicken is cooked with fragrant flavors and includes a very refreshing taste of preserved lemon. It is accompanied with a hearty green salad which is braised in the oven and couscous which has a chewy texture. The addition of caramelized onions has increased the richness of the dish and can be served as a marvelous one-pot stew recipe.

 

Ingredients:

Chicken Recipe with Preserved Lemons, Caramelized Onions, and Israeli Couscous

Chicken (breast and thigh pieces)– 1 kg
Medium yellow onions (thinly sliced) – 2
Any high heat oil (sesame, sunflower, olive or canola ) oil – 2 teaspoons
Salt – divided and more – 2 ½ teaspoons
Extra virgin olive oil – 2 tablespoons
Lemon zest (mix with a bit of salt) – 3 teaspoons
Garlic (peeled and mashed) – 3 cloves
Cinnamon – 1-1/4 teaspoons
Preserved lemon (chopped ) – 2 tablespoons
Chicken broth – 1-1/2 cups plus more
Pearled Israeli couscous (Ptitim or Jerusalem couscous)– 1 cup

 

Preparation Method:

Chicken Recipe with Preserved Lemons, Caramelized Onions, and Israeli Couscous

 

Sprinkle the chicken with ½ teaspoon of salt. Place a pan on the oven and pour in the oil. When it is medium hot fry the chicken pieces until they turn brown. Remove chicken from the pot and set aside. Do not wash the pan.

Reduce the flame and allow the pan to cool down. Add olive oil to the pan along with garlic, onion and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Caramelize the onions by stirring occasionally. You can add in some chicken broth if the pan gets too dry.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Combine lemon zest with 1-1/2 teaspoon of salt, allspice, and cinnamon. Make the onions caramelized, sprinkle a ¾ portion of this spice mixture over the onions and mix well. Now add the preserved chopped lemon and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle the remaining spice mixture over the chicken and place the pieces within the onions.

Make a well in the chicken-filled onions and pour the uncooked Israeli couscous (Ptitim or Jerusalem couscous). Add the remaining chicken broth and cover the pan with a lid. Cook in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Take off the lid and cook for another 5 minutes. You can also season with more salt if re required.

Serve warm.