Chicken Simmered in Smen
Submitted by sunshine68
Traditional Moroccan chicken slow-simmered with saffron, smen (aged butter), and preserved lemon. The braising liquid becomes a silky, intensely flavored sauce.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
30 minREADY
45 minThis is Moroccan home cooking at its most soulful.
Smen, the pungent aged butter used across North Africa, lends a deep, almost cheese-like richness to this slow-braised chicken.
Saffron threads color the broth a gorgeous golden hue while parsley water and onions build the aromatic base.
After the chicken is fork-tender, the braising liquid gets blended into a velvety smooth sauce, then finished with diced preserved lemon peel and a bright squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
The layers of flavor here are extraordinary: earthy, tangy, and buttery all at once.
Chef Tips
- If you can’t find smen, use clarified butter mixed with a tiny bit of blue cheese for a rough approximation of that funky, aged flavor
- Pulverize the saffron with a pinch of salt using a mortar and pestle to release maximum color and aroma
- Only use the peel of the preserved lemon and discard the pulp, which can be bitter
- Serve with couscous or crusty bread to soak up every drop of that golden sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Place prepared chicken in 5½ qt. casserole with the livers and minced onion.
Sprinkle with the spices and 1 teaspoon salt. Toss to coat evenly.
Purée parsley in blender or food processor with ¼ cup water.
Add half the “parsley water” and all of the smen to the casserole.
Pour in 1 cup water; bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for one hour, adding more water if necessary.
Remove chicken to a colander when very tender and keep warm while the sauce simmers one full hour.
Heat the 2 tb. sweet butter in a skillet; gently brown the drained chicken quarters.
Transfer to a flameproof serving dish, cover, and keep warm.
Meanwhile, add the remaining “parsley water” to the sauce in the casserole and, by boiling rapidly, uncovered, reduce to 5½ cups.
Dump the sauce, livers, and odd bits of skin and bits in the blender.
Whirl until the sauce is smooth.
Pour over the chicken and reheat.
Discard the pulp from the preserved lemon and dice the peel.
Sprinkle diced lemon peel over the chicken.
Simmer 5 minutes, taste for seasoning, and add additional salt if necessary.
Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve at once.
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