LEBANESE CHICKEN WITH 7-SPICE

Lebanese Chicken with 7-spice, caramelized onions, almonds, and roasted lemon. A simple flavorful Lebanese-inspired dinner, with only 15 minutes of hands-on time. See notes for grilling!

Author: Sylvia Fountaine| Feasting at Home

Prep Time: 15 | Cook Time: 50 | Total Time: 1 hour 3 minutes

Ingredients

2 lbs chicken, skin on, bone-in thighs or legs (see notes, for boneless, skinless options )

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 1/2 teaspoons salt (use 1 teaspoon salt per pound of chicken plus an extra 1/2 teaspoon for the onions)

1–2 teaspoons cracked pepper

2 tablespoons Lebanese 7-spice ( see below)

1 extra-large red onion, sliced into 1/2 inch wedges

4 garlic cloves, rough chopped

1 tablespoon preserved lemon, chopped (totally optional)

1 lemon, sliced thinly

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1/4 cup Marcona almonds, or slivered almonds or pinenuts

parsley for garnish

Seven Spice Recipe: 

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

These are in order of importance. Feel free to sub paprika (not smoked) for something, or leave the cardamom cloves or nutmeg out.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F (see notes for grilling)

2. Place the chicken in a bowl and toss with olive oil, salt, and  7-spice mix. Add onion, garlic,  preserved lemon and sliced lemon and toss again well. Spread out on a parchment-lined sheet-pan.

3. Bake for 35-45 minutes- or until cooked through. Broil for a few minutes to get the skin crispy and nicely golden, turning if necessary (especially if using skin-on chicken)

4. While the chicken is baking, warm and toast the almonds/pinenuts in a little butter or olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

5. Place the fragrant chicken on a platter, scattering with the onions and lemon slices (which are edible.)  Pour any juices from the pan, over top.  Garnish with the toasted nuts and sprinkle with a few parsley leaves.

Notes

CHICKEN: Feel free to use skinless boneless chicken, but note that cooking times will shorten, so just check sooner. 20-25 mins for skinless breasts, boneless 30-35 minutes for thighs.

GRILLING: Set grill to med-high. If grilling skin-on chicken, skip the oil, make a rub out of the salt, pepper and spices. Add 2 teaspoons granulated garlic to the rub. Make sure to use 1 teaspoon salt per pound of chicken. Rub spices generously over the chicken. In a bowl,  toss the onions and lemon slices with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and a pinch of the 7-spice. Grease the bbq grates. Sear the skin side of the chicken until deeply marked, 3 minutes or so, turn over, move to a cooler part of grill (or lower heat to medium) and continue cooking, covered, until cooked through (to 165F). Grill the lemon slices and the onions, at the same time. Let chicken rest 10 minutes before serving. Platter like above.

If grilling skinless chicken, make a paste. Mix the salt, pepper, spices and 2 teaspoons granulated garlic in a bowl. Add just enough oil to make a thick paste, stir. Rub this paste all over the chicken. You could do this the day before for extra flavor. Grill like above, along with onions and lemon slices.

For a little heat, sprinkle with Aleppo chili flakes if you like.

Nutrition

Serving Size: skin-on, bone-in legs and thighs

Calories: 473Sugar: 3.5 g | Sodium: 1084 mg | Fat: 35.7 g | Saturated Fat: 9 g | Carbohydrates: 11.5 g | Fiber: 3.2 g | Protein: 27.8 g | Cholesterol: 122.4 mg