Recipe: chicken with preserved lemon
Open a bottle of wine while this farm chicken marinates and roasts in the oven. You’ll have plenty of time for an extended drinks session, and will be rewarded with a golden-brown roast chicken on spicy vermicelli. The recipe is by Nadia and Merijn, featuring spices from their SOUQ product line.
How to make chicken with preserved lemon
Cut the preserved lemon into quarters, then cut the peel and flesh into very thin strips. Rub the chicken well with half of the lemon strips, the savoury ras el hanout, salt, pepper and olive oil. Marinate the chicken in a roasting dish for between 30 minutes and a few hours. Preheat the oven to 250 ºC. Roast the chicken in the hot oven for 15 minutes, until golden brown all over. Lower the oven temperature to 150 ºC and cook the chicken for 45 minutes. Make a small incision with a knife between the chicken’s thigh and breast. If the juices run clear, the chicken is cooked; if not, cook it for another 10–20 minutes.
Bring plenty of water to the boil in the bottom section of a couscousière or steamer. Mix the vermicelli in a large bowl with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and salt. Sprinkle with half a glass of cold water and loosen the vermicelli with your hands. Place it in the top section of the couscousière or steamer and steam for 10 minutes. Cut the dates and apricots into strips and roughly chop the almonds. Transfer the steamed vermicelli to a large bowl and sprinkle with a little water.
Mix the dates, apricots, almonds and the remaining lemon strips into the vermicelli with 1 tablespoon of oil. Steam everything for another 8 minutes. Mix the vermicelli with the spicy chicken juices from the roasting dish and the parsley. Spoon some of the vermicelli into the chicken and serve the chicken on the remaining vermicelli.
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