Little more than chicken braised with onions but with a couple of “secret” ingredients. The first is a lot of saffron. Saffron takes a bit of an initial investment (it’s $30 or more an ounce), but it lasts a very long time; I use it regularly, and an ounce lasts me years. (Of course, I usually add it in pinches; this is a more extravagant dish.) The second is preserved lemon. If you can buy this at a Middle Eastern store, you’re in luck. If you can’t, you’ll have to make your own, but it takes weeks, so this recipe requires what you might call advance planning. However, the results are great even without the lemon. Couscous (page 526) is a natural here, as is the Spicy Carrot Salad on page 191.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　4 large or 8 small chicken thighs, excess fat removed

　　Salt and black pepper to taste

　　2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more to taste

　　2 large onions, sliced

　　1 teaspoon saffron threads

　　1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves, plus more for garnish

　　Three 1/2-inch slices Preserved Lemon (page 598), optional

　　

Step 1

Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Put the oil in a skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, skin side down, and cook, rotating the pieces as necessary, until nicely browned, about 10 minutes; turn and brown the other side. Stir in the onions and saffron, cover, turn the heat to low, and cook for about 15 minutes.

　　

Step 2

Add the parsley and 1 cup water (or chicken stock, if you have it), then cover and cook for another 10 minutes. If you’re using preserved lemon, add it now. Turn the heat to high and cook, uncovered, until the sauce reduces by half, about 10 minutes.

　　

Step 3

Taste and adjust the seasoning, then drizzle with a little olive oil, garnish with parsley, and serve.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.