Lemon chicken with coriander and olives

Name: Lemon chicken with coriander and olives
Yield: Serves 4–5
Cuisine: Moroccan
Ingredients: leaves from a bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped; bunch of coriander, finely chopped; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp ground ginger; 3–4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed; 2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped; 150 g (5½ oz) soft green or purple olives; salt, to taste; 1 tsp ground black pepper; 175 ml (6 fl oz) olive oil; juice of 2 lemons; 1 chicken, about 1½ kg (3 lb 3 oz), left whole or cut into quarters if serving 4 and into eighths if serving more; about 350 ml (12 fl oz) water; 1 preserved lemon, finely sliced

Poulet m’charmel

Preparation info

Serves
4–5

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The North African Kitchen

By Fiona Dunlop

Published 2008

About

When the balance is just right, this dish is quite exquisite. Many similar recipes suggest cooking the olives, but this makes it overly bitter. Here, they complement the tartness of the lemon perfectly by being added at the end.

Ingredients

2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped
3–4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
bunch of coriander, finely chopped

Africa
Morocco
Fez
Preserve
Mediterranean
North Africa
Gluten-free

Method

In a large bowl, mix together the onion, garlic, half the coriander and parsley, the spices, salt, half the lemon juice and the olive oil. Dilute with the water to make a sauce.
Rub some of the sauce into the cavity and over the outside of the whole chicken, or over the chicken pieces, then place the chicken in a large cooking pan. Pour the rest of the mixture