Braised Chicken With Lemon and Olives
This Mediterranean braised chicken dish is Paleo and Keto friendly and kids love it. It offers succulent, juicy chicken thighs with lemon, garlic, fennel seeds and briny olives. It pairs well with sautéed greens and roasted potatoes or brown rice. The dish is easy to make even though the cooking time is a bit lengthy. The chicken tastes even better the next day after marinating in its juices overnight. Chicken thighs are an excellent source of protein, providing 44 grams in one serving. If you are concerned about the sodium content in the olives, you can rinse them before adding them to the dish.
Makes: 4-6 servings
Time to prepare: 25 minutes
Time to cook: 80 minutes
Ingredients
- 8 chicken thighs, skin-on and bone-in, about 3½ pounds
- Salt and pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon crushed fennel seeds
- 1 tablespoon roughly chopped rosemary
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 Meyer lemons, cut in wedges
- 1 cup flavorful olives with pits, a mixture of black and green, about 1 pound
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Cooking Instructions
- Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Season well with salt and pepper and place in an earthenware baking dish in one layer, skin side up. Sprinkle with red pepper, garlic, fennel and rosemary and drizzle with olive oil. Rub seasoning into thighs on all sides. Tuck lemon wedges here and there. Let marinate for 15 minutes. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
- Put baking dish in oven, uncovered, and roast until skin browns lightly, about 20 minutes. Scatter olives evenly over chicken and add broth. Cover tightly and bake for 1 hour, until meat is very tender when probed with a skewer.
- Remove thighs and lemon wedges and arrange on a platter. Keep warm. Pour pan juices into a saucepan and quickly skim fat from surface. Over high heat, simmer rapidly until reduced by half. Spoon juices over chicken, sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Nutrition per serving
643 calories; 48 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 22 grams monounsaturated fat; 9 grams polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugar; 44 grams protein; 809 milligrams sodium.
Recipe: David Tanis, NY Times Cooking
