Roasted Chicken Breasts With Preserved Lemon Recipes

ROAST CHICKEN WITH PRESERVED LEMON

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400°F. Put the butter, thyme, garlic, preserved lemon, lemon zest, half a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper in a food processor. Blitz, then set aside while you tackle the bird.
• With the chicken's legs pointing towards you, use your hands to loosen the skin from the breasts. Spread most of the butter mixture evenly over the breasts, under the skin, then smear the remaining butter over the legs. Put the chicken in a medium-sized, high-sided baking tray, drizzle with the lemon juice and sprinkle with a teaspoon of salt and plenty of pepper.
• Roast for about 70 minutes, basting every 15 minutes or so, until the skin is golden-brown and crisp, and the juices run clear (stick the tip of a sharp knife into the thickest part of the thigh to check; if the juices are still a little pink, just give the bird five to 10 minutes more cooking).
• Remove from the oven, leave to rest for 10 minutes, then carve and serve.
• TO MAKE PRESERVED LEMON: (the same for limes)
• Get a jar large enough to accomodate all the lemons snuggly. To sterilize it, fill it with boiling water, leave for a minutes, and then empty it. Allow it to dry out naturally without wiping it so it remains sterilized.
• Wash the lemons and cut a deep cross all the way from the top to with 3/4 inch / 2 cm before the base. Stuff each lemon with 1 tablespoon of the salt and place it in the jar. Push the lemons in tightly so they are squeezed together snuggly. Seal the jar and leave it in a cool spot for at least a week.
• After the initial period, remove the lid and press the lemons as hard as you can to squeeze out most of the juice. Add the rosemary, chile and lemon juice and cover with a thin layer of olive oil. Seal the jar and leave in a cool place for at least 4 weeks. The longer you leave them, the better the flavor.

ROASTED CHICKEN WITH PRESERVED LEMONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut the preserved lemons into quarters and remove the rinds from the flesh, reserving both. Create a pocket between the skin and meat of each chicken breast. Slide pieces of the lemon rind, pith side down, into each pocket, two pieces per breast. Then rub the chickens with the remaining lemon flesh. Sprinkle the ground cumin over the birds and season with the salt and pepper.
• Set chickens on a roasting rack in a large roasting pan and cook for 20 minutes. Remove the chickens and spread butter over the breasts, then drizzle with the honey. Lower oven temperature to 400 degrees. Roast for 30 to 50 minutes, or until the skin is a burnished brown.
• Remove from oven, and allow to rest for 15 or 20 minutes.
• Reduce juice from pan over medium heat. Pour over carved chicken.

ROASTED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH PRESERVED LEMON

Steps:

• Turn the oven to 450°F In a food processor, finely chop the lemon, olive oil, cilantro, garlic, and cumin.
• Cover a shallow roating pan with foil. Arrange the chicken breasts on the foil, skin side up, and spread the lemon mixture over them. Grind a generous amount of black pepper over the chicken and place in the oven. Reduce heat to 325°F.
• Roast chicken for 45 minutes, pasting it with its pan juices, until the chicken reaches 170F on an instant-read thermometer.
• Alternative roasting method: Roast 1 hour at 300°F.

LEMON CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the garlic, and cook for just 1 minute but don't allow the garlic to turn brown. Off the heat, add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt and pour into a 9 by 12-inch baking dish.
• Pat the chicken breasts dry and place them skin side up over the sauce. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in 8 wedges and tuck it among the pieces of chicken.
• Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts, until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned. If the chicken isn't browned enough, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the pan juices.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH PRESERVED LEMON

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler. Cook the rice as the label directs. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add to the skillet, skin-side down, and cook until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Flip and cook until just browned on the other side, about 3 more minutes.
• Transfer the chicken to a plate and pour off the excess fat from the skillet. Return the skillet to medium-high heat and add the butter; let melt. Add the bell pepper and onion and cook until just softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook 1 more minute. Add the wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the chicken broth and preserved lemon slices and bring to a simmer.
• Return the chicken to the skillet, skin-side up. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Place the skillet under the broiler and cook until the chicken skin is crisp, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Fluff the rice and divide among plates. Serve with the chicken, vegetable mixture and sauce from the skillet; top with dill.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH PRESERVED LEMONS AND ROOT VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Make the brine: Fill a large stockpot with 16 cups water; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add sugar, salt, lemons, olives and their brine, parsley, garlic, peppercorns, thyme, and bay leaves; stir to dissolve sugar and salt. Remove from heat and let stand for 20 minutes to infuse.
• Add ice to brine mixture to cool. If brine is not completely cold, transfer to refrigerator until cold. Add chickens to cold brine and weight down with a plate or small pot lid to keep submerged. Transfer to refrigerator and let brine 8 to 12 hours.
• Make the chicken: Cut preserved lemons into quarters. Cut flesh away from rinds, reserving both. Remove chicken from brine; discard brine. Rinse chickens and pat dry using paper towels. Place 1 chicken on work surface with legs facing you. Starting at the cavity, work the handle of a wooden spoon between skin and one breast to create a pocket, working slowly and gently to avoid tearing skin. Repeat process with other side.
• Holding chicken in place with one hand, slide index and middle fingers of your other hand into each pocket to enlarge it, then slide your fingers down to create a pocket over the thigh. Repeat entire process with second chicken.
• Insert pieces of preserved lemon rind, white pith-side down, and thyme sprigs into pockets over thighs and breasts. Sprinkle cavities with salt and rub chickens with reserved flesh from preserved lemons, scraping off any pieces of lemon flesh that stick to the chicken and discard.
• Position 1 chicken, breast side up, with legs facing you. Cut a vertical slit in one side, about 1 inch back from cavity, alongside thigh. Cross end of opposite drumstick over drumstick on this side and poke top end of drumstick through slit. Depending on condition of chicken's skin, it may rip as you try to poke the drumstick through it, so have some kitchen twine on hand just in case to tie legs together if necessary. Repeat process with other chicken. Season chickens with salt.
• Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
• Make the vegetables: Place turnips, carrots, onions, parsnips, and rutabagas in a large bowl; add olive oil, thyme, garlic, and 3 pinches salt. Toss to combine. Transfer vegetables to a large roasting pan spreading in an even layer. Set a roasting rack over vegetables. Place chickens, breast-side up on roasting rack, leaving space between chickens. Chickens should not be touching vegetables, but set over them.
• Transfer roasting pan to oven; roast for 15 minutes. Spread room-temperature butter from remaining chicken ingredients over the breasts; continue roasting 30 minutes more. Roast until skin is deep golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh reaches 160 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes more. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let stand 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, remove rack and set roasting pan on stove over two burners. Bring cooking liquid to a simmer. Whisk in preserved lemon liquid and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in butter, piece by piece, to emulsify sauce and glaze vegetables. Stir in parsley. Serve chickens whole or carved over vegetables.