Bring a taste of Israel to your Shabbat table by serving this Lemon Olive Roast Chicken for the Friday night Sabbath dinner. This chicken is especially popular in Moroccan Jewish homes, where it is often served with couscous or rice.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours, 00 minute
Ingredients:
- 1 medium (4 pounds or 2 kilograms) whole chicken
- 8 ounces (250 grams) Syrian green olives (must be Syrian)
- 2 lemons
- 2 onions
- olive oil
- 1 cup chicken soup
- 2 cloves of garlic
- salt and freshly ground pepper
Preparation:
1. Place the chicken on its back in a deep roasting pan. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius).
2. Remove the pits from the Syrian olives. Put into a bowl.
3. Wash and slice lemons into rounds. Add to olives in the bowl.
4. Peel and slice onions into rings. Add to the olives and lemons in the bowl.
5. Mix the olives, lemons and onions in the bowl. Stuff half the olives, lemons and onions into chicken cavity. Set the rest aside.
6. Tie the chickens legs together so the stuffing won't fall out. Tie the chickens wings to the body so they won't burn.
7. Rub the exposed areas of the stuffed chicken with olive oil.
8. Arrange the rest of the olives, lemons and onions around the chicken.
9. Mix the soup, garlic, salt and pepper. Pour on top of and inside the chicken.
10. Roast the chicken in a 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius) oven for 2 hours, or until cooked through and nicely browned. Basting once or twice is recommended.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Serve with couscous or saffron rice.
2. Remove the pits from the Syrian olives. Put into a bowl.
3. Wash and slice lemons into rounds. Add to olives in the bowl.
4. Peel and slice onions into rings. Add to the olives and lemons in the bowl.
5. Mix the olives, lemons and onions in the bowl. Stuff half the olives, lemons and onions into chicken cavity. Set the rest aside.
6. Tie the chickens legs together so the stuffing won't fall out. Tie the chickens wings to the body so they won't burn.
7. Rub the exposed areas of the stuffed chicken with olive oil.
8. Arrange the rest of the olives, lemons and onions around the chicken.
9. Mix the soup, garlic, salt and pepper. Pour on top of and inside the chicken.
10. Roast the chicken in a 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius) oven for 2 hours, or until cooked through and nicely browned. Basting once or twice is recommended.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Serve with couscous or saffron rice.
