Preserved Lemon Chicken
(7 votes, average: 3.29 out of 5)
Loading...Marinated, shallow-fried chicken cutlets with a savory preserved lemon sauce, toasted cumin seeds and topped with cilantro, onion and lemon.
Ingredients
- Marinade and Chicken
- 2 Medium Egg Whites
- 2 tbsp. Soy Sauce
- 2 tbsp. Cornstarch
- Kosher Salt and Black Pepper
- 2 large Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (sliced in half horizontally to make 4 pieces)
- 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour (optional, for dredging chicken before frying)
- 1/3 cup Neutral oil, such as grapeseed or vegetable oil
- Preserved Lemon Paste
- 1-2 Preserved Lemons (depending on size of lemon)
- 1/4 cup Fresh Lemon Juice
- Preserved Lemon Sauce
- 3 tbsp. Preserved Lemon Paste
- 3 cups Chicken Stock
- 1.5 tbsp. Unsalted Butter
- 2 Garlic Cloves, peeled and minced
- 1 tbsp. Granulated Sugar
- 1/8 tsp. Ground Turmeric
- 1.5 tsp. Cumin Seeds, toasted and roughly crushed in a mortar and pestle, divided
- 1.5 tbsp. Cornstarch
- 2 tbsp. Lemon Juice
- Black Pepper, to taste
- Cilantro Onion Topping
- 1-2 Scallions, trimmed and finely sliced
- 1/2 cup Roughly Chopped Cilantro (with stems)
- 2 tbsp. Fresh Lemon Juice
- Pinch of Kosher Salt
Instructions
Marinade and Chicken
Whisk together soy sauce, corn starch, egg whites and black pepper in a large bowl. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and no corn starch lumps remain. Set this aside.
Place the breasts on a piece of parchment, slice the breasts in half horizontally with a sharp knife. Then cover with another piece of parchment. Pound the 4 breast halves until they are just about 1/2-inch thick.
Then transfer the cutlets to the marinade, cover and let marinate in the fridge for at least one hour.
Preserved Lemon Paste
Take 1-2 preserved lemons, 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice and blitz in the blender to get a thick paste. We only need three tablespoons of the paste for the lemon sauce.
Preserved Lemon Sauce
For the cumin seeds, toast them in a skillet over medium heat just until they become fragrant – about 30 seconds. Then grind the toasted seeds coarsely with a mortal and pestle.
In a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat, combine the chicken broth, butter, garlic, sugar, turmeric, preserved lemon paste, 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and half of the ground cumin seeds (about 3/4 teaspoon). Bring this to a boil, and stirring occasionally, let this boil for about 15 minutes, until the sauce is reduced by about 1/3.
Then, transfer about a ladle-full of the sauce to a small bowl and whisk with 1.5 tablespoons of cornstarch until no lumps remain. Add this cornstarch slurry to the pot with the rest of the sauce and stir well to incorporate.
Season with a pinch black pepper. Let this keep cooking for about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Shallow Fried Chicken Cutlets
Heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable or grapeseed oil over medium-high heat, in a braiser or tall-sided skillet. When the oil is shimmery, gently lay two chicken cutlets (one at a time) into the hot oil. Be sure to release the cutlets away from you to avoid splattering the hot oil on yourself.
Fry for 3-4 minutes on each side, until the chicken is golden brown and the internal temperature is 165 degrees. Transfer fried cutlets to a paper towel-lined plate or sheet tray. Repeat with two remaining chicken cutlets.
Cilantro Onion Topping
Stir together chopped cilantro, thinly sliced scallions, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and a pinch of Kosher salt.
To Serve
Transfer the cutlets to a serving dish and sprinkle the remaining toasted, coarsely ground cumin seeds over the cutlets.
Spoon Lemon sauce over the cutlets and top with cilantro onion topping.
Notes
If your chicken cutlets are golden brown, but the internal temp is not quite at 165, you can place the fried cutlets on a sheet tray in a 400 degree oven for 5-10 minutes until the internal temp is 165.