Egyptian Lemon Chicken With Figs Recipes

CHICKEN WITH FIGS IN RAS-EL-HANOUT AND COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Arrange chicken on rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle each side of each piece with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Transfer chicken to skillet and sear until golden, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to heavy roasting pan, skin side up. Add carrots, shallots, garlic, 1 teaspoon thyme, lemon peel, ras-el-hanout, chicken broth, white wine, and remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil to skillet. Bring to boil, whisking up brown bits. Pour mixture over chicken in roasting pan and bring to simmer over medium heat. Cover with foil; place in oven. Braise 1 hour, until tender.
• Transfer chicken, carrots, and shallots to baking sheet; discard garlic. Pour pan juices into large saucepan. Spoon off fat from surface. Boil juices until reduced to 1 3/4 cups, whisking occasionally, about 18 minutes. Add figs and vinegar; cook until figs are just heated through, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Place cooked couscous on large plate. Top with chicken, vegetables, and figs. Spoon sauce over chicken and figs. Garnish with fresh herbs and serve immediately.

ROASTED CHICKEN WITH FIGS AND ROSEMARY

Steps:

• In a large bowl, toss chicken with salt, rosemary, garlic, citrus zest and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight (the longer the better).
• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Spread chicken pieces out on two rimmed baking sheets, making sure there is plenty of room between the pieces. Arrange figs among the chicken pieces, then scatter jalapeño slices on top. Drizzle everything generously with olive oil.
• Roast, switching the position of the baking pans after 15 minutes so everything browns evenly, until the chicken is golden and cooked through. This should take about 25 to 30 minutes for the breast meat, and 30 to 40 for the dark meat. Serve chicken with the orange or lemon wedges for squeezing, if you like.

EGYPTIAN LEMON CHICKEN WITH FIGS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°.
• Squeeze the juice from one of the lemons into a small bowl, add the brown sugar, vinegar and water. Mix well and set aside.
• Slice the remaining lemon and arrange evenly, along with the figs in a 13x9 baking dish.
• Place the chicken thighs on top in a single layer, then drizzle the vinegar mixture over the chicken.
• Sprinkle with the thyme and salt.
• Bake at 400° for about 40 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle and juices run clear, basting half-way through cook time.
• Sprinkle with cilantro and serve immediately.

EGYPTIAN CHICKEN

Steps:

• Cut chicken into small pieces.
• Put olive oil, into large heavy pot over low heat.
• Add chicken, chopped onion and the allspice, paprika, coriander, cumin and pepper.
• Stir, cover and cook until the chicken and onion has softened.
• Add rice, stock cubes, 41/2 cups of hot water and salt to taste.
• Cover and simmer until the rice is almost cooked.
• Saute vermicelli in the 2 tbs of butter until it separates and is golden brown.
• Tip vermicelli into rice and add currants and chopped almonds.
• Turn off hotplate, put a teatowel over the pot, cover with lid and allow to steam for 10 minutes.
• Fluff rice with fork and serve.
• NOTE: This recipe can be easily made vegetarian if you substitute vegetable stock cubes instead of chicken and omit the chicken breast entirely.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH CILANTRO, LEMON AND DRIED FIGS

Steps:

• Place flour in large resealable plastic bag. Season flour with salt and pepper. Add chicken to bag; seal bag. Shake bag to coat chicken lightly with flour.
• Heat 2 teaspoons oil in large nonstick pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add chicken and sauté until brown on all sides, about 7 minutes per batch. Transfer chicken to plate. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to pot and reduce heat to medium. Add onions and garlic and sauté until golden and tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in broth, 1/2 cup cilantro and lemon juice and bring to boil. Add figs and chicken with any accumulated juices to pot. Cover and simmer until chicken is tender, about 35 minutes.
• Using slotted spoon, transfer chicken to bowl and cover with foil to keep warm. Boil juices in pot until thickened to sauce consistency, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro over and serve with lemon wedges.

FIG AND LEMON CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, brown sugar, vinegar and water; set aside.
• Place figs and lemon slices in the bottom of an 11x16 inch baking/roasting dish. Arrange chicken thighs on top, then pour vinegar mixture over chicken. Finally, sprinkle with salt and dried parsley to taste.
• Bake/roast at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 50 minutes, basting frequently (turn figs if they begin to brown).
• With a slotted spoon, remove chicken, figs and lemon slices from baking dish and place on a warm platter. Skim fat from cooking juices, then pour over chicken as sauce. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.