Braised Chicken with Saffron and Preserved Lemons

This past summer I decided to make preserved lemons, you can find the recipe here. I meant to use them many times over the fall, but life got busy and I forgot about the jar in the back of the fridge. On Sunday, after a long and stressful work week, I needed to cook to unwind, I was inspired to try the lemons.

I did some research for cooking with preserved lemons and couldn't find anything that I wanted to make, this is what I came up with - we loved it.
If you don't have the time or interest in making preserved lemons yourself, I have found them at a few Mediterranean delis, if you're in Vancouver, Yek-O-Yek on Main Street sells them.

Braised Chicken with Saffron and Preserved Lemons

6 - 8 bone in, skin on organic chicken thighs

1/2 cup flour

salt and pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 fennel bulb, finely chopped

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 preserved lemon, rinsed very well, pulp removed and finely chopped

1 pinch of saffron

salt and pepper

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Mix flour with a generous amount of salt and pepper, lightly coat the chicken with flour mixture. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil and butter in a heavy bottom over medium high heat and add 3- 4 pieces of chicken. Cook until golden brown on each side, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the pan and do the same with the remaining chicken, remove from the pan. 

Add the onions and fennel, stirring well to lift any crispy chicken bits in with the veggies. Saute for 4 minutes and then add chicken stock, 1/2 of the preserved lemon, saffron, salt and pepper and bring to boil. Turn heat down to medium low, place chicken on the top of the veggies, put lid on and let simmer for 45 minutes.

Remove from heat, add remaining lemon and the chopped parsley, mix well and enjoy!

I served this with a very simple couscous dish.

Couscous with Pistachios and Mint

1 cup whole wheat couscous

1 1/4 cup water 

1 tbsp butter

2 green onions, finely chopped

1/4 cup mint, finely chopped

1/3 cup pistachios, toasted and roughly chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

juice of a lemon

salt

In a sauce pan, bring water to the boil, add couscous and butter, remove from heat, put lid on and let sit for 5 minutes.

In a mixing bowl combine onions, mint, pistachios, olive oil, lemon and salt. 

Once couscous has sat for five minutes, fluff it with a fork and add to the bowl. Mix everything together and season if needed.