Moroccan Chicken with Green Olives and Lemon

One more Moroccan recipe!  I could not help myself.  I love how cinnamon and ginger are mixed with other spices such as cumin or tumeric.  The added splash of an acid along with something salty or sweet makes all of the flavors pop.  I am moving onto Greece with my next blog recipe (avgolemeno soup), but last night we all enjoyed the chicken. 

Joe defiantly sat on the chair, cried, and refused to join us at the table because dinner looked disgusting. (The cinnamon gave the gravy a "dirty" look) Fortunaltely, I had blueberries to get him to the table and aside from the green olives, he loved the chicken.  Usually he breaks out the BBQ sauce when we have chicken, but tonight it stayed in the refrigerator.  The six of us polished off the entire chicken that was served with Garlic Brown Rice and Couscous and carrots.  Both tasted great with a little of the gravy.  Tim loves meat in general, and he gave this recipe along with the Brasato top reviews.

I accidently doubled the cinnamon and thought for sure the cinnamon would overpower the dish.  I was surprised that it did not. 

Next recipe: Avgolemeno Soup (lemon soup with chicken and rice)

Bon Appétit  | May 2009

by The Bon Appétit Test Kitchen

 

yield: Makes 4 servings

active time: 25 minutes

total time: 55 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 Meyer lemons or regular lemons
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, halved, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 1 4 1/2-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces, skin removed
• 1/2 cup green olives

Cut 1 lemon into 8 wedges. Squeeze enough juice from second lemon to measure 2 tablespoons; set wedges and juice aside. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sprinkle with salt and pepper; sauté until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Add next 5 ingredients; stir 1 minute. Add broth; bring to boil. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper; add to skillet. Add lemon wedges. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, turning occasionally, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to platter. Add olives and 2 tablespoons lemon juice to skillet. Increase heat to high; boil uncovered to thicken slightly, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over chicken