Braised Chicken Legs and Wings with Almonds, Olives, Raisins and Preserved Lemon
A chicken wing is one of my favourite things in the world. If I cook a whole chicken, I always save the two chicken wings for myself. Maybe because I grew up on American-style barbecue, or hot sauce–slathered chicken wings, but I really think they are one of the most underrated cuts out there. They stay juicy no matter what you do to them, the ratio of meat to skin (the best part!) is excellent and, typically, they are cheap as chips. Sure, there isn’t a lot of meat on them and they really can only be eaten with your hands, but to balance out those factors, I suggest braising them with chicken leg pieces so that you get a bit of extra meatiness.
This combination of raisins, olives and almonds may suggest a more Middle Eastern–style flavour profile, but altogether, those components really just make this dish a bit sweet, salty and savoury. Serve it on top of some polenta or with some steamed couscous and you have a delicious, comforting meal.
Ingredients 15
4 whole chicken leg
8 ‒ 12 chicken wings, wing tip separated and reserved for stock, wing split at the joint
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra if needed
1 preserved lemon, rinsed
1 bunch spring onions (scallions), green parts cut off and reserved, white parts quartered
10 garlic cloves
2 tbsp plain flour (all-purpose flour)
100 ml white wine
800 ml chicken stock
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
2 bay leaves
15 whole pitted green olives
30 g sultanas
30 g toasted almonds
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Method 10
Season your and with salt and pepper and leave to sit at room temperature for 15–20 minutes.
Heat the in a wide ovenproof sauté pan over a medium–high heat and brown the all over. Do not move them around or flip them too much while browning. If all the wing pieces don’t fit at the same time, you can do this in two batches, just add a bit more olive oil if needed.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
To prepare the , cut the flesh out of the lemon and discard. Finely slice the pith and skin and set aside.
Remove the from the pan and immediately add the quartered onion and . Allow those to soften and begin to colour for about 10 minutes over a medium heat.
Add the and stir to moisten it with the and cook it out.
Next, add the and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the and bring up to a simmer. Once simmering, add the , , , , and and stir to combine.
Return the to the pan, skin side down. Bring the whole lot to a simmer, then place a lid on the pan, slightly ajar, or a piece of baking paper (cartouche). Alternatively, transfer everything to a baking dish and cover with aluminium foil. Place in the oven, then drop the temperature to 180°C (350°F).
Simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the is tender. Flip the chicken over onto the skin side, remove the lid or cartouche and cook for another 20 minutes, so that the liquid can reduce a bit further.
Remove the pan from the oven and set it aside, semi covered, for about 20 minutes. Roughly crush the in a mortar and pestle so they remain fairly chunky, then sprinkle on top of the . Serve immediately or cool and reheat when ready.
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Notes
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