Tag: chicken

Lemon Chicken with Olives

  • Lemon chicken
  • Lemon chicken
  • Lemon chicken
  • Lemon chicken
  • Lemon chicken

Lemon Chicken with Olives

Lemon Chicken with Olives is a simple stew, enhanced by saffron, ginger and cinnamon. It is based on a traditional Moroccan recipe which uses preserved lemons, rather than fresh lemons. The spices are warm, fragrant and gentle and the olives give an extra dimension of flavour to the sauce. The lemon is a fantastic flavour partner for rather than chicken and adds a freshness and vibrancy to the finished dish.

This is one of those brilliant recipes which are easy to prepare, can be made in advance and which are great for a weeknight supper but are also not out of place if you are entertaining. All you need to add is some couscous to soak up the delicious sauce and maybe some green vegetables such as beans, peas or broccoli.

Lemon chicken

What you need to know about Lemon Chicken with Olives

  • Make sure that you cook the onions slowly at the start of the recipe to ensure that they are sweet and caramelised. This will add depth of flavour to your finished dish.
  • The chicken pieces do not need to be browned before you add liquid to the casserole. When I make other chicken stews, I will brown the chicken as I have been taught that this will enhance the flavour. However, I was told many years ago in Morocco that this is not the usual practice when making this type of stew. Removing this stage makes this stew even quicker and easier and so I never do it when making this Moroccan-style stew.
  • The difference between having a so-so chicken stew and a rich and delicious chicken stew is making sure that you reduce the sauce (step 7). At this point you remove the chicken pieces and set them aside so that they do not become overcooked while the sauce is reducing.
  • You can make this recipe in advance and re-heat it.
Lemon chicken

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Other simple suppers

This recipe for Lemon Chicken with Olives is one of my regular weeknight supper options. It is easy, tasty and uncomplicated and can be made in under an hour. It can also be made in advance and then quickly re-heated. Although it is simple to make, it is also special enough to serve if I am entertaining. Here are some of my other simple supper recipes.

  • Macaroni Cheese – this is a brilliant make-ahead vegetarian recipe which has a secret layer of caramelised onions and a bit of cayenne to balance its rich cheesiness. Topped with a layer of crisp breadcrumbs it is perfect served with a simple green salad.
  • Creamy Mushroom Pasta – this is simple vegetarian sauce combines mushrooms and chestnuts and lots of garlic. It can be used with any kind of pasta but I prefer it with short pasta such as gigli or penne.
  • Spaghetti with Smoked Salmon – this simple recipe can be made in 15 minutes. Smoked salmon trimmings are combined with fennel and chives and a squeeze of lemon.
  • Moroccan-style Seafood Stew – this simple but luxurious stew combines warm spices with seafood of your choice (prawns, mussels, clams or white fish). Serve with couscous to mop up the delicious juices.

Lemon Chicken with Olives

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Lemon chicken

Lemon Chicken with Olives

★★★★★ 5 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Tastebotanical
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 45
  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 6
  • Category: Stew
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Description

This easy Lemon Chicken with Olives and warm spices  is the perfect simple supper recipe.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 onions
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves (crushed)
  • Pinch of saffron
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 kilo free-range chicken legs and thighs
  • A handful of green olives
  • Juice of one lemon

Lemon chicken

 

 

Instructions

  1. If using oven, set to 180 C, 350 F or Gas Mark 4 (see point 6)
  2. Peel and chop the onions.
  3. Heat the olive oil in your casserole and add the chopped onions.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook gently for around 10 minutes until the onions have softened.
  4. Add the crushed garlic cloves, saffron, ginger and cinnamon  to the onions. Then add the chicken pieces.
  5. Add sufficient water to almost cover the chicken pieces and bring to the boil.
  6. You can now either transfer the casserole to your oven or cover it and continue to allow it to simmer gently on the top of your stove.   In either case, the chicken will be cooked in 30 minutes. 
  7. Then remove the chicken pieces from the casserole and place in another bowl.  Remove the lid from your casserole and add the lemon juice and olives.  Simmer uncovered on the top of your stove until the liquid has reduced to half its volume.  This will take around 15 minutes.  It will have thickened slightly and will taste rich and tangy. 
  8. Put the chicken pieces back into the casserole and reheat.

Lemon chicken

Keywords: stew, chicken, Moroccan, lemon, olives

This recipe has been shared on #CookBlogShare with Recipes Made Easy and #Fiesta Friday with Fiesta Friday and  Mollie @ Frugal Hausfrau

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Lemon chicken

Roast Chicken with Garlic, Lemon and Thyme and Dauphinoise Potatoes

Garlic butter with thyme and lemon
Ingredients for garlic, thyme and lemon butter

Roast Chicken with Garlic, Lemon and Thyme and Dauphinoise Potatoes

Roast Chicken with Garlic, Lemon and Thyme, together with my healthier version of Dauphinoise Potatoes, make a fantastic and easy Sunday lunch.

The chicken will be very garlicky, with the flavour enhanced by the lemon and thyme.  I have toned down the garlic in the Dauphinoise potatotes but feel free to increase it if you are feeding lots of garlic lovers!     Dauphinoise Potatoes make a great accompaniment to roast meat but also are popular with vegetarians.  Soft potatoes, flavoured with thyme and garlic, with a crispy top – who wouldn’t want this with their Sunday lunch?

My version is a lighter, and healthier, version of the traditional recipe for Dauphinoise potatoes which uses cream (or a mix of milk and cream).  I just use milk as I find the traditional version is too rich and heavy.  The milk gets absorbed by the potatoes, along with the flavours of the garlic and thyme.  When people eat this dish, they often think that there is cheese included, although there isn’t, because of the way the milk reduces.   This is also a very accommodating dish as it is made in advance and it is happy sitting in a warm oven if more time is needed for other elements of your meal.

Oven-ready chicken..
Chicken smothered in garlic, lemon and thyme butter and ready for the oven

Roast Chicken with Garlic, Lemon and Thyme

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Garlic, thyme, lemon butter makes your chicken delicious

Roast Chicken with Garlic, Lemon and Thyme

  • Author: Tastebotanical
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Cook Time: 120
  • Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
  • Yield: for 6 people 1x
  • Category: Chicken
  • Cuisine: English
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Description

Crispy-skinned roast chicken, flavoured with garlic, lemon and thyme – who wouldn’t want this for Sunday lunch?

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 chicken
  • Sprig of thyme
  • 1 lemon
  • 4 cloves of garlic (crushed)
  • 125 g butter (softened)
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Set your oven to 180 C, 350 F or Gas Mark 4.
  2. Remove the thyme leaves from the woody stems (keep the stems) and put them in a small bowl. Add the grated zest of your lemon along with the crushed garlic. Put your softened butter into the bowl and mash to combine with the other ingredients.  Season with salt and pepper.
  3. Loosen the skin on your chicken’s breast by gently pushing your fingers under it. Push half of the flavoured butter under the skin.  Smear the other half of the butter all over the chicken.
  4. Quarter your zested lemon and put this in the chicken’s cavity along with the thyme stems.
  5. Place your chicken in the roasting pan and cover with foil.
  6. Place your chicken in the oven. The time that it will take to roast will depend on its size but will probably be between one and a half and two hours.   Remove the foil for the last 30 minutes of cooking time.
  7. When it is done, remove the chicken from the roasting pan and put it on a warm plate, covered with foil, to rest for 10 minutes.
  8. If you want gravy, you can use the following method. Pour the juices from the roasting pan into a measuring jug or similar container.  The juices will settle within a minute or so with the fat rising to the surface.  Take two tablespoons of the fat and return them to the roasting pan.  Add two tablespoons of plain flour.  Stir together and cook over a low heat for a few minutes.  Add the rest of the chicken juices to the roasting pan together with some hot water (either from the kettle or water used to cook vegetables is great).  Allow to bubble for a few minutes and then pour into a gravy boat or jug to serve.

Keywords: chicken with garlic and thyme

Ingredients for Dauphinoise potatoes
Potatoes, garlic and thyme

Dauphinoise Potatoes

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Dauphinoise potatoes

Dauphinoise Potatoes

  • Author: Tastebotanical
  • Prep Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 60
  • Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
  • Yield: for 6 people 1x
  • Category: Potatoes
  • Cuisine: English
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Description

Crisp on the top, soft and creamy underneath, and flavoured with garlic and thyme, these potatoes are fantastic with roast meat or grilled fish.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 kilo potatoes
  • Sprig of thyme
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 500 ml milk
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Set your oven to 180 C, 350 F or Gas Mark 4.
  2. Butter the oven-proof dish
  3. Peel and slice the potatoes thinly into disks
  4. Put a layer of potato disks in the dish. Dot with knobs of butter. Season with salt and pepper – it is really important to season every layer. Sprinkle with a few thyme leaves and a little crushed garlic.  I prefer this dish to have a whisper of garlic so only use one clove throughout but feel free to increase the amount of garlic if you like!
  5. Repeat step 3 until the dish is filled.
  6. Pour the milk into the dish.
  7. Put the dish into your oven and cook for around 1 hour. At the end of this time, the potatoes should be soft, and most of the milk should have been absorbed, and the top should be crisp and golden.

Keywords: dauphinoise potatoes, garlic potatoes

Dauphinoise potatoes
Potato slices
Potatoes, thyme, garlic
Dauphinoise potatoes – ready for the oven


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