Djaj Ma’ Zaytoun – Chicken With Olives Recipe

In Chef John's recipe for chicken and olives, the briny, sour bite of the olives complements the chicken perfectly.

 ¼ Chicken (whole)
 ¼ cup Chickpeas (canned)
 ½ Onions
 2 Olives (green, pits removed)
 ⅛ Lemon
 1 tbsp Parsley (chopped)
 ¼ tsp Coriander (powder)
 ¼ tsp Turmeric (powder)
 Saffron (a pinch)
 ⅓ tsp Salt
 ⅛ tsp Black pepper
 ¾ tbsp Olive oil
 ⅓ cup Water

1

Sprinkle the chicken pieces with a bit of the salt and black pepper. Heat the olive oil in a pot on high heat. Fry the chicken pieces on all sides until they are half cooked (about 5-7 minutes). Keep moving the pieces around so they don’t stick to the pot.

2

Remove the chicken and set aside. In the same pot and the same oil, fry the sliced onions until translucent.

3

Lower the heat to medium, and add the remaining salt and black pepper, together with the turmeric, coriander and saffron. Mix well.

4

Put the chicken pieces back in the pot and mix with the onions. Add the water, put the heat back on high and let it come to a boil. Then lower to medium and let simmer for 3-5 minutes uncovered.

5

Put the chicken mixture with all the sauce in a deep oven dish. Add the chickpeas, olives and lemon pieces. Cover with aluminum foil and cook in the oven for 50-60 minutes at 180C.

6

Take the dish out of the oven and uncover. Add the parsley and continue to cook in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes uncovered.