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Recipe Ingredient
- Whole Chicken (3 ½ pounds each) - 2 ea.
- Salt and pepper - to taste
- Marinade:
- Saffron filaments - 2 pinch
- Water - 2 Tbsp.
- Ground cinnamon - ¼ tsp
- Ground ginger - ¼ tsp
- Ras Al Hanout - ½ tsp.
- Sauce:
- Unsalted butter - ¼ cup
- Onion (medium, finely chopped) - 1 ½ cups
- Water - 1 cup
- Canola oil - ¼ cup
- Slivered blanched almonds - 1 ½ cups
- Confectioners sugar - 1 cup
- Ground cinnamon - ¾ tsp.
- Ras Al Hanout - ½ tsp.
- Orange flower water - 1 Tbsp.
- Water - 5 Tbsp.
- Lemon, juiced - ½ ea.
- Preserved lemon wedge - 2 ea.
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Lemons (separated into segments, no pith, ¼" pieces) - 2 ea.
- Italian parsley (coarsely chopped) - 4 Tbsp.
Instructions
- Remove all excess fat from the chicken cavity, neck and tail area. Rub all over with salt and pepper. Let sit for 1 hour. Rinse and drain well.
- Toast the saffron in a dry sauté pan until aromatic, approximately 10 seconds. Crumble the saffron, soak in 2 tablespoons of hot water. Let sit for 20 minutes. Combine the soaked saffron with the cinnamon, ginger, ras al hanout, salt and pepper. Rub saffron mixture over the chicken and under the skin.
- Sweat the onions in butter in a rondeau until transluscent. Put the chickens on top and add water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Baste the chicken every 10 minutes, adding more water if necessary.
- Preheat oven to 375° F. While the chicken are cooking, prepare the paste. Heat ¼ cup of oil in a sauce pot. Add the almonds, fry until golden brown, stirring constantly to ensure even browning. Drain well on paper towels, cool and roughly chop.
- Combine the almonds, confectioners sugar, cinnamon, ras al hanout, the orange flower water, water and lemon juice to make a mixture. Season well with salt and pepper.
- Once the chickens have cooked, place them on a rack to drain. Degrease the sauce and reduce it to 2 cups. Julienne the preserved lemon as thin as possible into slivers and add to the sauce. Pour the sauce in the bottom of an oven proof serving dish large enough to hold both chickens. Cut the chickens in to breasts and thighs, removing the bones from the breasts. The chickens should be slightly under-cooked.
- Place a handful of filling on the underside of each piece of chicken and place the chickens skin side up on top of the sauce. Spread the remaining almond mixture evenly over the chickens, making sure all parts are covered. In a preheated 375°F oven, bake the chickens 20 minutes, or until the almonds brown and the sauce simmers.
- While the chicken is baking, combine the lemon segments, parsley, olive oil, sugar, and season with salt and pepper.
- Remove the chicken from the oven, sprinkle with the lemon mixture including the juices, and serve immediately.
