Chicken with Olives and Lemon, No Stock Needed

This chicken with olives and lemon needs no stock and no bouillon powder: the sauce is built from the fat of the skin and the lemon juice. Brown the chicken thighs in a wide pot, cook onion and garlic in the same fat, then return the chicken to braise slowly with green olives, lemon slices and thyme. It is ready in an hour and ten minutes. It suits the start of the olive harvest season in late October, when the Olive Branch Days festival opens in the Galilee.

Browning makes the sauce

The step you cannot skip is the browning at the start. Skin-on thighs laid skin side down in a hot pot release fat and leave a brown layer on the bottom. When the onion goes in, it cooks in that fat and lifts the brown layer off the pot, and that is where the flavor of the sauce begins. It takes patience: 6 to 7 minutes without moving the chicken, until the skin releases from the pot on its own.

If the pot is too small to hold all the thighs in one layer, brown them in two batches. Crowded chicken steams instead of browning, and the skin comes out pale and soft. An 11-inch (28 cm) wide pot, or a cast iron Dutch oven with a lid, holds eight thighs comfortably.

Which olives and which lemon

Pitted green olives work better here than black ones. They are firm, stay whole after 45 minutes in the pot, and their tartness suits the lemon. Brined olives hold up well, but if they are very salty, rinse them in water before cooking and cut back a little on the salt in the recipe.

The lemon slices cook with the peel on. Over a long braise the peel softens, its bitterness fades, and it gives the sauce an aroma that juice alone cannot. Slice it as thin as you can. For the last ten minutes, take the lid off so the sauce reduces and thickens. Serve with rice, couscous or fresh bread for the sauce.

The recipe

Chicken with Olives and Lemon, No Stock Needed

Chicken with olives and lemon, no stock needed: thighs braised with green olives, lemon, onion, garlic and thyme, the sauce built from the fat and the lemon.

• Servings 4 servings
• Prep 10 min
• Cook 1 hr
• Total 1 hr 10 min

Print recipe

Ingredients

• 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 lb / 1.4 kg)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions (thinly sliced)
• 6 garlic cloves (sliced)
• 1 cup / 150 g pitted green olives
• 1 lemon (thinly sliced, seeds removed)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 3/4 cup / 180 ml water
• 4 thyme sprigs

Instructions

1. Season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt, pepper, paprika and turmeric.

2. Heat the olive oil in a wide pot over medium-high heat. Lay the chicken skin side down and brown 6 to 7 minutes without moving it, until the skin is golden and releases from the pot. Flip, brown 2 minutes and move to a plate.

3. Lower the heat to medium. Add the onions to the pot and cook 5 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom, until soft.

4. Add the garlic and cook one minute.

5. Return the chicken to the pot skin side up. Scatter the olives, lemon slices and thyme around it, and pour in the water and lemon juice.

6. Bring to a boil, cover and cook over low heat for 35 minutes.

7. Uncover and cook 10 more minutes, until the sauce thickens and the chicken is very tender.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do you cook chicken with olives?
About 45 minutes after browning: 35 minutes covered over low heat and 10 more minutes uncovered, until the sauce thickens.

Can I make it with chicken breast?
You can, but breast dries out in a long braise. Cut the covered cooking time to 15 minutes and use bone-in, skin-on breast.

Can I make it a day ahead?
Yes, and it is worth it. Chill in the covered pot and reheat over low heat with a splash of water. The sauce gets richer overnight.

What olives go best with lemon chicken?
Pitted green olives such as Castelvetrano or Manzanilla. They stay firm while cooking and suit the tartness of the lemon.