Shared by Simone and Marc Azoulay and Marie Salomé Peyronnel
Shared by Simone and Marc Azoulay and Marie Salomé Peyronnel
Poulet aux Olives (Chicken with Olives)
Yield: 6-8 servings
Poulet aux Olives (Chicken with Olives)
Yield: 6-8 servingsFamily Journey
Casablanca, MoroccoParisRio de Janeiro
SydneyNew York City
At Simone Azoulay’s home in Paris, the Shabbat menu is always changing, but “Our tradition is to have one fish and one meat dish,” her son Marc explains. You can serve this chicken braised with olives, ginger, and saffron, after Marie’s poisson à la Marocaine, fish patties in a tomato sauce, or not, it’s wonderful either way.
Read more about their family’s Shabbat dinners in “Whether in Paris, New York, or Beyond, Marc Azoulay Always Makes Time for Shabbat Dinner” and try Simone’s recipes for meatballs with onions, a cooked Moroccan salad of tomatoes and peppers, and cumin-laced beets.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 lbs chicken thighs, dried with paper towels
- 2 onions, halved and thinly sliced
- ¾ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 30 straws saffron, bloomed in 1 cup warm water
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 ½ inch knob of ginger, grated
- 1 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped
- 2 pints whole black kalamata olives, rinsed
Preparation
Step 1
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Sear the chicken thighs, placing them skin-side down for 3-5 minutes then flipping to brown for another 3 minutes. Remove the thighs and set aside on a large platter. You will have to do this in batches.
Step 2
In the same pot you seared the chicken in, lower the heat to medium-low and add the onion. Mix with a rubber spatula, scraping up any chicken fat that has stuck to the bottom. Cover and allow to soften for 5-7 minutes.
Step 3
Uncover and add the salt, pepper, minced garlic, saffron water, lemon juice, grated ginger, cilantro and olives. Mix to incorporate and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove half of the sauce and set aside in a bowl.
Step 4
Layer the chicken and the sauce that has been set aside in the pot then pour ¾ cups water. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for approximately 40 minutes.
