Moroccan Chicken for the Boys

I made a Morrocan Lemon Confit Chicken dish with preserved lemons and Calamata olives for our friends who came over for bridge last Wednesday night.

I came across this recipe in Food+Wine three years ago, and it immediately jumped out at me as something I wanted to try. I've made it three or four times since then, and I love the smell of the lemon and cinnamon in particular. I also like the way the sauce thickens up, and for that reason, it makes for wonderful leftovers.

Unfortunately, Lou doesn't care for it. I think the problem has been that I have usually substituted boneless chicken breasts for on-the-bone breasts, and the chicken has almost always turned out a little dry. I made the same mistake on Wednesday. We had a couple of boneless breasts in the fridge, and I bought two more to serve the four of us. Bad move. The chicken turned out dry again, and Lou didn't like it. If you make this recipe, be sure to brine the boneless chicken breasts or use either chicken on-the-bone with skin or chicken thighs.

I was most pleased with another Food +Wine recipe from 2004 for Fragrant Basmati Rice. I made the rice by cooking it along with two bay leaves, a cinnamon stick and four smashed cardamom pods. Delicious!