This Moroccan Chicken Thighs recipe features tender meat marinated in aromatic spices, slow-cooked with olives and lemon for a flavorful dish perfect for serving over couscous.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 4 people
Ingredient | Quantity | Notes |
Caraway Seeds | 1 tbsp | |
Coriander | 2 tbsp | |
Garlic | 2 clove | smashed |
Olive Oil | 1/4 cup | |
Chicken Thighs | 6 | |
Lemon | 1 | sliced into rounds |
Yellow Onion | 1 | sliced |
Cinnamon Stick | 1 | |
Chicken Stock | 1 1/2 cup | |
Green Olives | 15 | pitted, Castelvetrano or Lucques if you can find them |
Parsley | 1/4 cup | leaves roughly chopped |
PREPARATION
Marinate the chicken.
Toast the caraway and coriander in a small skillet over low heat until they release a nice odor, about 4 minutes. Grind in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Place the chicken thighs in a bowl and coat with the spices. Add the garlic and olive oil, cover, and let sit in the fridge 1 hour or overnight. The longer the better.
Pull the meat from the fridge and preheat the oven to 325 °F (163 °C) .
Lay chicken on a large plate or tray, set the garlic aside and liberally salt both sides. Place a dutch oven or any heavy pot with a lid on the stovetop and heat over medium heat. Arrange the chicken skin side down - you will most likely need to do this in two batches. Brown the chicken, 3-5 minutes. Remove from the pan.
Add the onions, reserved garlic, cinnamon stick to the pot.
Cook until the onion softens, 5-6 minutes. Add the stock and lemon slices. Bring to a hard simmer. Turn off the heat and place the chicken thighs back in the pot. Cover and place in the oven. Cook for 1 hour. Add the green olives to the pot. Cook for another 30 minutes. Pull from the oven, scatter with parsley and serve over couscous.
Optional step for crispy skin:
When the dish is finished, pull from the oven. Turn the oven to high broil. Remove the chicken thighs and place on a sheet tray, skin side up. Return to the oven under the broiler for 3 minutes to crisp up the skin. Now place them back in the pot with the sauce, scatter with the parsley and serve with couscous.