Name: Chicken with Lemons and Olives Emshmel
Yield: Serves: 8
Ingredients: 2 to 3 chickens, whole or quartered, with their livers; 6 cloves garlic, peeled; Salt; 1 teaspoon ground ginger; 1 teaspoon sweet paprika; 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin; 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1/4 cup salad oil; 2 1/2 cups grated onion, drained; 1/4 teaspoon pulverized saffron (mixed with turmeric, if desired); 1/2 cup mixed, chopped fresh herbs (green coriander and parsley); 1 1/2 cups ripe "green-brown" olives, such as Royal-Victorias; 2 preserved lemon; 2 to 3 fresh lemons; Large bowl; Paring knife; 6-quart casserole with cover; Strainer, if necessary; Small mixing bowl

(Djej Emshmel)

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Paula Wolfert's book Couscous and Other Good Food From Morocco. Wolfert also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page.

I first ate this dish in a home in the city of Meknes, sometimes called the City of Olives. Djej Emshmel (pronounced meshmel or emsharmel) is a classic Moroccan dish—chicken served in an intricately spiced, creamy, lemony, and sublime sauce with a scattering of pale-hued olives.

Recipe notes

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