Name: Braised Chicken With Olives and Citrus
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients: 4 chicken legs or 8 thighs or 8 large drumsticks; ½ cup pitted olives (cracked green, Moroccan oil-cured, Manzanilla, or Kalamata olives); 1 medium yellow onion, halved and sliced; 4 wedges preserved lemon, store-bought or homemade, pulp and seeds scraped out; 2 dried Persian limes, cracked; 1 lemon, thinly sliced and seeded; 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil; 1½ tsp. honey; 1 Tbsp. kosher salt; 1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, plus a handful of whole leaves for serving (optional); 2 large garlic cloves, smashed; ½ tsp. ground turmeric; 1½ tsp. ground cumin; 1 tsp. sweet paprika; Pinch of chile flakes; 1 cup homemade or low-sodium store-bought chicken stock; 1 cup fresh orange juice; Cooked couscous, for serving

Braised chicken with olives and citrus in an enamel dish.

Photo by Quentin Bacon

In Israel, chicken with olives is often a simple midweek dish, made with tomato paste and the most basic pitted olives, but this version, while still simple to make, is a delicious step up. In place of tomatoes, citrus provides the brightness—fresh and preserved lemons, dried limes, and orange juice. Just mix everything together and put it in the oven, and about an hour later, you have a fragrant, tangy chicken dish that is beautiful as part of the couscous table. If you don’t have preserved lemons or dried Persian limes, skip either one or both. The fresh lemons and olives add plenty of flavor.

This recipe was excerpted from 'Shuk' by Einat Admony and Janna Gur. Buy the full book on Amazon.