Moroccan Chicken with Lemon and Olives

I discovered recently how much I love preserved lemons.  I had been meaning to make them for a while, but just didn't get around to it.  One day, I took the plunge.  I watched the following video on YouTube and took notes.



Then, I went to the store for a bag of organic lemons.  A little while later, I had this:

 

It sat on the counter for about a month.  Each day, I shook it 1-3 times a day.

 

Now...what to do with it...what to do???  How about the iconic dish of Morocco?  Yes, indeed.  I think this is one of my new favorite foods. 

 

Serves 8-10

 

4-6 cloves garlic (minced)

¼ t pepper

5 T olive oil

8-10 pieces chicken

1 onion (chopped)

2 t paprika

1 t cumin

1 T ginger

2 t turmeric

½ t cinnamon

1 t allspice

1 t cayenne

1 t coriander

1 cup green olives (about 14-16 large olives, sliced)

2 cups chicken broth

2 preserved lemons (cut into slices)

½ cup dried cranberries

Salt to taste

¼ cup cilantro (chopped)

¼ cup parsley (chopped)

Chop the chicken into chunks about 1 inch in size.  Mix the garlic, black pepper and 1 spoonful of oil and rub chicken.  Marinade overnight. 

Heat the remaining oil.  Fry the chicken on all sides until it begins to brown (5 min).  Add the spices and onion.  Cook 2-5 min.  Add the broth.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat.  Cover, but leave a crack for steam to escape.  Simmer over low heat for 20 min.  Add the olives, lemons, cranberries and salt to taste.  Remove chicken and set aside.

Bring sauce to a boil, stirring continually, until thickened.  Coat the chicken with the sauce, Mix in fresh parsley and cilantro and serve.

 

Cranberry-Curry Rice

1 ½ cups rice

2 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 teaspoon finely chopped preserved lemon

1 onion, finely chopped

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling (optional)

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Cook rice and broth in the rice cooker.  In a small pan, sauté the onion, cranberries and lemon.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  The onion, cranberry and lemon mix will cook for about 5-10 min with occasional stirring to keep it from sticking and burning.  Once the rice is done, add the mix to the rice and stir.