Moroccan Chicken with Lemon and Olives

I’m a lucky girl to have such an easy going family to cook for. I experiment and they eat~ usually without complaint or question. One of the crowd pleasers this weekend was my variation of Moroccan Chicken with Lemon and Olives. If you don’t have a tangine a dutch oven works great  for this recipe. Also as I know some of the cinnamon and cilantro that go along with a traditional Moroccan chicken wouldn’t fly in my household, I substituted some other spices like parsley and ginger in. I dished this up with some herb couscous and warm naan bread on the side. If you are serving guests, this pairs nice with a dry Riesling or White Rioja.

Lemon and Olive Moroccan Chicken

You will need:

• 8 Boneless/Skinless Chicken Thighs
• 4 medium sized potatoes
• 2 Lemons
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves (slivered)
• 1 Tablespoon Honey
• 3/4 cup assorted olives
• 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes (blanched)
• 1 large white onion diced
• 2 Tablespoons Parsley Leaves
• 1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
• 1/2 Teaspoon diced Ginger

Directions:

Cut 1 lemon into thin wedges. Squeeze enough juice from second lemon to measure 2 tablespoons; set wedges and juice aside.

Heat half the oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sprinkle with salt and pepper; sauté until soft and add lemon wedges, garlic, parsely and ginger; stir 1 minute.

Placed chicken thighs in dutch oven sprinkle with salt and pepper; and brown for about 5 minutes.  Add lemon/onion mixture from skillet to the chicken.  Peel and cube potatoes and add to the mix.

Cover and bake in oven at 350 for 15- 20 min, turning occasionally.  Add olives, sundried tomatoes and remainder of lemon juice to chicken. Continue to bake for 5-10 minutes until chicken is cooked through.