Spicy Roasted Chicken with Preserved Lemon
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Chicken
Cuisine
Mediterranean
Servings
4
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
1-1 hour 5 minutes
Ingredients
-
1 whole chicken
-
6 T. unsalted butter, softened
-
1 T. harissa
-
1 small preserved lemon, pulp removed and discarded, rind finely chopped
-
1 lemon, juice and zest
-
½ t. salt
-
¼ t. fresh ground pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place butter, the harissa, finely chopped preserved lemon rind, lemon zest in a bowl and mix to combine.
Place the chicken breast side up on a cutting board. Gently pull the skin back from the breast and with a spatula or your fingers, spread ¾ of the butter mixture under the skin (try to avoid tearing the skin). Spread the remaining paste all over the top of the chicken, making sure the legs are well covered.
Place the chicken in a dutch oven or roasting pan, breast side up. Pour the lemon juice over the chicken, and sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper. Place the chicken, covered with a lid or foil, and roast for 40 minutes.
After 40 minutes, remove the lid and baste the chicken with its juices, and roast for another 20 minutes until the skin is crisp and the internal temperature is at least 165 degrees. Remove from oven.
Let stand in pan for 10 minutes, to retain the juices, before you carve the chicken.
Serve with roasted potatoes or rice.
Recipe Note
Preserved lemon does not have the same flavor as fresh lemon, so if you do not have preserved lemon, you can use more lemon zest than the recipe indicates.
You can use thighs or breast instead of the whole chicken, but use bone-in meat if possible, it'll be juicier.