If the rest day is "Sunday", don't you think it's best not to complicate Sundays in the kitchen? Enjoying the morning with family is always a pleasure and being able to eat something delicious without having to worry about staying by the stove makes that pleasure multiply. That's why this spiced roast chicken with preserved lemon recipe is a wonderfully quick and impressive option for Sunday lunch.
Inspired by the aromatic flavors of the Middle East, with its preserved lemons and its very special harissa, the only thing that will take us a little time is preparing the paste (or marinade) that we'll smear under the chicken's skin and spread over it well before cooking.
From there, the oven and the Le Creuset non-stick Chef frying pan will take care of the rest of the cooking; with its lid, which also covers the pour spouts, it will keep all the flavors and aromas in, allowing them to penetrate the meat and give it juiciness and a truly exquisite touch. And nothing will stick, so it'll be clean in no time. The perfect Sunday!
You'll see you'll not only love its flavor, but also the aroma it leaves in the kitchen. If you enjoy these olfactory gifts as much as I do, you can't miss this Sunday recipe, which you can make any day of the week with your favorite spices.
Do you have the pan ready and the chicken in the fridge? Let's get on with the recipe!
Chef Pro Frypan with Pourer and Steel Lid Le Creuset
Ingredients
- 1 free-range or organic chicken, 1.5 kg
- 75 g softened salted butter
- 1 tbsp of harissa sauce rose
- 1 small preserved lemon, finely chopped
- 1 lemon juice
- The zest of 1 lemon
- Fresh mayonnaise and roast potatoes (optional)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 190 °C.
- Place the butter, harissa sauce, the finely chopped preserved lemon and the lemon zest in a bowl and beat well to form a paste. Season with pepper.
- Loosen the skin slightly from the chicken breasts and, using a spatula knife, gently spread 3⁄4 of the butter mixture under the skin (try to avoid tearing the skin). Spread the remaining paste over the top of the chicken, making sure the legs are well coated.
- Place the chicken in the 24 cm non-stick Chef pan and pour the lemon juice over the chicken. Place the lid on the pan and put it in the oven for 40 minutes.
- Remove the lid and baste the chicken with its juices, collecting them with a ladle or a juice baster.
- Return the pan to the oven, this time without the lid, and roast for another 20 minutes until the skin is crispy and the juices have reduced.
- Let rest in the pan for 10 minutes and then carve and serve with fresh mayonnaise and roast potatoes.
Notes
- Cooking the whole chicken will result in juicier meat. But you can also cook it halved or quartered if you want it ready sooner.
- This recipe is characterized by the more Eastern flavor given by both the preserved lemon and the harissa, but you can use the spices you like best and give it your personal touch.
- Preserved lemon doesn't taste the same as fresh lemon, so if you don't have preserved lemon you can use a larger amount of lemon zest than the recipe indicates to substitute for the preserved lemon.
- Harissa is a sauce made from ground red pepper and various spices. It has a strong, spicy flavor that greatly enhances meats and vegetables and is delicious even with a bit of bread as an appetizer. The one from Terre Exotique is one of our favorites and you can find it here.
- It's great to be able to use a pan both on the stovetop and in the oven, and this recipe is a good demonstration of that for the new Le Creuset Chef's Pan. But you can make the recipe in a baking dish or in a casserole if you prefer!
