Lemon Stuffed Chicken Thighs With Chermoula Food

CHERMOULA CHICKEN

Steps:

• Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and let rest while you prepare the sauce.
• Put parsley, cilantro, garlic, salt, cumin, coriander and cayenne (if using) into a food processor. Pulse several times to chop up the parsley and cilantro.
• With the motor running, add in the olive oil.
• Add lemon juice, process until you have a rough paste.
• Heat the ghee or olive oil on medium high heat in a large cast iron pan.
• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Pat the chicken pieces dry and add them to the pan skin side down. Let them cook until golden brown, about 5 to 6 minutes.
• Turn them over and cook a few minutes more.
• Remove the chicken from the pan and pour off the fat.
• Return the chicken to the pan and spread the chermoula sauce on both sides of the chicken. Save the rest of the sauce.
• Roast the chicken in the oven skin-side up, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the temperature near the bone is 165°F. If the breasts are done before the thighs remove them from the pan and cook the thighs until done.
• Serve with extra chermoula sauce on the side.

CRISPY CHICKEN THIGHS WITH CARAMELIZED LEMON RINDS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Pat the chicken thighs quite dry with paper towels. Sprinkle them on both sides with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper.
• Heat a large ovenproof skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat until shimmering. Add the chicken thighs to the skillet skin-side down and nestle the lemon halves around them so the cut sides touch the skillet. Cook until the chicken skin is very golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. (The lemon halves should char, but if they start completely blackening, lift them up and place them on top of the chicken as it cooks.)
• Lift up each lemon half, brush the cut side with maple syrup and return to the skillet cut-side down. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast until the chicken is almost cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip the thighs so they are skin-side up, then continue roasting until no longer pink near the bone, another 5 minutes. Serve the chicken with the saucy pan drippings spooned over.

BAKED LEMON-BUTTER CHICKEN THIGHS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Place 3 tablespoons butter in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in a microwave oven until melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Smash garlic cloves with the side of a chef's knife and add garlic to the warm butter. Stir in lemon juice and onion powder. Set aside.
• Sprinkle both sides of chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a medium-sized oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Brown chicken, skin-side down, for 3 to 4 minutes. Flip chicken over and brush skin with lemon-butter mixture. Pour remaining butter mixture into skillet and remove from heat.
• Bake in the preheated oven until chicken is no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 30 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Brush skin every 10 minutes with pan juices.
• Remove skillet from the oven and place chicken on a serving platter. Drizzle chicken with pan juices and garnish with parsley.

LEMON STUFFED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Stuff the bird with the prepared stuffing and rub the skin with the olive oil. Cut 1 lemon in half; cover the opening of the bird with a lemon half and stuffing (save the other half for garnish). Pour the juice of the second lemon over the bird. Season the bird with the salt, paprika, rosemary and sage.
• Cover and bake in preheated oven for 1 to 2 hours. Remove the cover half way through baking to brown. Baste often.

LEMON STUFFED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH CHERMOULA

Steps:

• To prepare vinaigrette: Combine the cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic and a little of the lemon juice in a medium bowl. With a whisk, blend in the remaining lemon juice, parsley, cilantro and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and more lemon juice, if desired.
• To prepare chicken: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together the parsley, cilantro and lemon zest with enough oil to make a mash.
• Using your fingers, gently separate the skin from the flesh of the chicken thighs and work some of the herb mixture under, smoothing it down. Place the chicken skin side up on roasting pan and cook until the juices run clear when pricked with a sharp knife, about 25 to 30 minutes, basting frequently with the charmoula vinaigrette.
• Serve the chicken over rice and drizzle with more of the chermoula, then pass the rest on the side.

GARLIC-LEMON DOUBLE STUFFED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly coat a large, shallow baking dish with oil.
• Butterfly each breast by slicing in half horizontally through the center, cutting almost but not completely through. Place one slice each of Cheddar and cream cheese in the center of each breast. Close again as if placing between the pages of a book. Set aside.
• Pour milk into a shallow bowl. In a separate bowl, combine breadcrumbs and Romano cheese. Carefully dip each breast first in milk, then in breadcrumb mixture, patting lightly to firmly coat. Place breasts side by side in a single layer in pre-oiled baking dish, tucking edges under to seal.
• Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in lemon juice and garlic, and drizzle evenly over chicken. Season breasts with garlic salt and paprika, if using.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until no longer pink in center and juices run clear.