Recipes for a Middle Eastern Feast: Chicken with Olives and Preserved Lemons

One of the things I love most about Middle Eastern cooking is that so much of the food is made with healthy, fresh ingredients.  With the obvious exception of pitas, desserts, and anything made with phyllo dough, the grains are usually whole.  In Middle Eastern dishes, the vegetables are plentiful, the herbs are fresh, and the flavors are exotic combinations of spices that by and large, you already have in your pantry.   (And if you don't, most of them are easy to obtain at a regular grocery store.)

The other thing that I love about Middle Eastern cooking is that most of the dishes can (or should) be made or at least mostly prepared ahead of time.  This makes it ideal company food.  A few hours of food preparation time the afternoon or evening before the event can yield a menu that requires only about half an hour of hands-on cooking the day that the company is coming, leaving your hands free to wipe off counters, set the table, and fix your hair before guests are due to arrive.  (Bedhead is one of those iffy things.  It might make it look like you are such a fabulous cook that you had time to hang out in bed all day before tossing this feast together, but it could also make you look harassed and incompetent.  So, go fix that hair.)


This recipe, variations of which are in most Middle Eastern cookbooks, is for one of those great dishes that has very little hands-on time and is partly made ahead.  The chicken comes out tender and moist, the flavors are exotic, and it is made of relatively inexpensive ingredients.  (Most of the pot is filled with chicken and onions.)  I've tried two recipes and adapted for you the one out of the cookbook Cooking with Mickey and the Disney Chefs because I really like the procedure.  It calls for preserved lemons, a recipe for which, I've included below, but you should know that fresh lemons work just as well if you forget to prepare the lemons a week ahead of time.  (I did this once, and while the flavor was a little different, it isn't worth fretting over.  You may even decide that making preserved lemons isn't worth the trouble--as fun as they are.)  The recipe also calls for two cans of olives.  I like using a mix of black and green olives, but if you can't find green olives at the same price as the black ones, just using the one type is fine. 

Preserved Lemons 
2 lemons
1/3 cup coarse salt
1 cup lemon juice, or more if needed.

Scrub the lemons and cut into eight wedges each.  Toss with salt and pour the mixture into a quart-sized glass jar.  Add lemon juice plus any more to cover the lemons in the jar.  Screw on the lid and let sit at room temperature for a week, shaking each day to redistribute the salt.  (If you want to store them, add a little layer of olive oil on the top and put them in the refrigerator.)  Drain and rinse well before using.

 Chicken with Olives and Preserved Lemons--Yield:  8 servings
8 chicken quarters (or a mixture of thighs and drums, if you prefer)

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (if you have cilantro issues, just leave it out)
1 1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. ground paprika
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 pinch saffron threads (optional--this exotic spice is super expensive.  Use if you wish.)

4 cups water
3 large onions, halved and thinly sliced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 quart jar of preserved lemons (see above) or 2 lemons, scrubbed and cut into eight wedges, each
2 cans of pitted, whole olives (one each of black and green)

6 cups of cooked rice (Basmati is a nice choice) for serving

1.  In a large bowl, mix together the spices.  Add the chicken pieces and toss to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
2.  Arrange the chicken in a large pot and cover with the water.  Add the oil and the onions.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat.  Simmer, covered with a lid, for 50 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add lemons and olives and cook for 15 minutes more.  Serve over rice, spooning the sauce, olives, and onions over the top.  (The lemon wedges are just a garnish.)