Djedj bel Zitoun, Algerian Chicken with Olives and Preserved Lemons, Poulet aux Citrons et Olives

Chicken with Preserved Lemons and Olives is possibly one of the most famous dishes of the Magrheb. The name itself seems to evoke a distinct culinary image of North Africa.

I can think of at least eight different Algerian variations off the top of my head without looking at my cookery notes.

I chose this one to present first because I've noticed that variations of Chicken with Preserved Lemons and Olives are increasingly popular on the menus of non-North African restaurants. Rather than an insipid chicken breast in a pool of  flavorless sauce I propose this recipe. It is wholly authentic and absolutely delicious. It can be presented as "Half Roast Chicken with Preserved Lemons and Olives" in typical bistro fashion.

Ingredients:

1 3-4 pound whole chicken cut in half
1 poulet coupe en deux

1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 oignon hache

3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
3 gousses d'ail emincees

2 quarters of  preserved lemon (discard pulp, rinse thoroughly under cold water) coarsely chopped.
2 citrons confits haches

1 cup of homemade tomato jam
1 tasse de concentre de tomate

1 1/2 cups of Spanish Olives soaked in cold water for at least 4 hours (I used manzanilla)
1 1/2 tasse d'olives vertes

A few sprigs of cilantro (also called Arab parsley) or flat leaf parsley.
coriandre frais ou persil plat

Salt, freshly ground black pepper, saffron, turmeric and paprika.
Sel, poivre, safran, curcumin, et paprika

Cooking time is about 60 minutes

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 F

1) Spread the chopped onions evenly in a baking dish and lay the chicken on top as shown.

2) Add the garlic, preserved lemon, 1/2 cup of homemade tomato jam, and olives around the chicken.

3) Tuck the chicken wings under as shown. Season the chicken with salt (the olives and preserved lemons will give off their brine during cooking so don't add too much, you can always add more towards the end of cooking, but you can't take it out once it's in) and pepper. Sprinkle a pinch each of the spices: saffron, turmeric and paprika.

4) Add about 1 1/2 cups of water, the amount will vary depending on the size of your dish, if you're not sure look at the photo.

5) Place the dish in the middle rack of the oven, baste with about 1/4 cup of water every 20 minutes, turn the dish 30 minutes into cooking.

6) 40 minutes into cooking add the remaining tomato jam and stir the sauce, taste, adjust seasoning if necessary.

The chicken is done when the juices run clear between the thigh and the carcass. Let rest for 20 minutes before carving. Cooking times are approximate, obviously a smaller chicken will cook a little faster than a bigger chicken. Add the cilantro leaves to the sauce just before service.

Serve with couscous or bread. I prefer leavened khobz or a baguette.

Note: There is no substitute for homemade tomato jam in this recipe. It gives the dish a burst of fruity concentrated tomato flavor.  I do however realize that homemade tomato jam can be expensive and time consuming to prepare. If you want to use canned tomato paste add a 1/4 cup at the beginning of cooking and then add fresh tomato concasse where the recipe calls for the second addition of tomato jam.

 

Algeria Algerian Cuisine Algerian Recipes Algerian Food Algerian dishes Cuisine Algerienne Recettes  Algerienne North African cuisine Maghreb Cuisine

Comments

[Amina]

I have only heard of this dish in Algeria and Tunisia.

They make it in Morocco too? I guess you learn something new everyday. :-)

[Anis Toumi]

Yanis,

The dish exists in Tunisia as well. Tunisia is seperated from Morocco by a huge country called Algeria.

There is nothing particularly Moroccan about the dish. It is a North African dish.

Please stop this nonsensical talk.

[Mark]

What's going on the two blogs? Do we have trolls?

Yanis you must be kidding me. Chicken, preserved lemons and olives exist throughout North Africa. You mean to suggest that in Algeria and Tunisia it never occured to any cook to put those ingredients together in a dish?

I have seen this dish in Algeria and Tunisia.

[Nouri]

Yanis are you Moroccan like Chama? You know funny how Algerians and Tunisians never claim to own a dish or to have invented a dish.

What kind of chauvinism is this with our furthes west neighbors?

[Farid Zadi]

The dish is Algerian and Tunisian as well.

I have made this dish, so has my Aunt all the way at the other end of the Algeria far away from Morocco. She has never read a Moroccan cookbook, never had access to any Moroccans to teach a recipe.

It is a dish of the Magrheb.

[Yanis]

I've never heard of that dish in algeria! i think it's moroccan.

[Khaled]

johana there are many ways to make chicken with citrons confits and olives the ingredients exist in all the countries of north africa why is there suprise that the dish is in algeria? maybe you have been reading too much in english language about north african cooking mostly written by and for tourists who have been to morocco only and forgets about her neighbors. i am a tunisian living in america besides what argan trees and some fish from the atlantic what do you think moroccan cooking has that doesn't exist in tunisia and algeria?

[Farid Zadi]

Johana,

Have you been to Algeria?

A variation of the dish exists in Tunisia as well.

[Johana]

I'm interrested in Moroccan cooking than I know this receipt as one of the most famous from the region of Fez and Meknes.
I don't know that it exist also in algeria????

[Farid Zadi]

Interesting that you should be bring up limes. Fatemeh brought up the same thing in the preserved lemon post. She wants to try limes for a Persian dish. I've also been thinking about preserving some limes this week.

I think I'll do it following the usual procedure. I can't really think of another way to cure the rinds with enough salt so that they would be edible without making the pulp so salty that it has to be discarded.

[ZaZa]

I'm glad to see this recipe, so I can ask a question that's only a little off topic. I've made the preserved lemons for several years, but I've often wondered if you could do something similar with limes. Limes have such thin skins, that the usual procedure wouldn't really work, there'd be nothing left to use if you didn't have the pulp. What do you think?

[kevin]

Farid,

This is one of my favorite dishes, but I've never had it with tomato jam. I've defnitely got to try that.