Make Lebanese Chicken with Fragrant 7-spice at Home

Ingredients

• For chicken:

  1 kg skin-onbone-in chicken thighs or legs
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2½ tsp salt
• 1–2 tsp pepper powder
• 2 red onionssliced medium
• 4 cloves garlicroughly chopped
• 1 tbsp Lemonchopped preserved l
• 1 Lemonsliced thinly
• ¼ cup slivered almonds or pine nuts
• Parsleyfinely chopped for garnish

• For 7-spice:

  1 tsp Cumin
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Coriander
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• ½ tsp Nutmeg
• ¼ tsp cardamom

Let’s cook

1. Preheat the oven at 204° C. In a bowl, add olive oil, salt and 7-spice mix. Now, add chicken and toss well. Add onion, garlic, preserved lemon and sliced lemon and mix well. Spread the mixture on a parchment-lined baking tray.

2. Bake the chicken for about 35-45 minutes until well cooked. Then, broil for a few minutes to give the skin a crispy, golden texture. If necessary, turn the chicken in between while cooking.

3. Toast the chopped almonds or pine nuts in a teaspoon of butter or olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. On a platter, place the baked chicken with the onions and lemon slices scattered around. If any juices are left in the pan, pour over the arranged chicken.

4. Garnish with the toasted nuts and parsley leaves. Serve with Lebanese rice or pita bread and yoghurt sauce.