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Juicy Lebanese Chicken, Malfouf salad and Tunisian Carrots

Lebanese Spiced Chicken with Malfouf Salad

Spicy, juicy roasted chicken is served with a traditional Lebanese cabbage salad, or Malfouf. Citrus reigns supreme, along with the kick of garlic, paprika, cumin and cayenne.  And fresh mint is my twist for the salad.  Enjoy!

Servings 6

Ingredients

Chicken

  • 8 chicken legs drumsticks and thighs can be substituted, with skin and bones
  • 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 8 large garlic cloves minced
  • 2 tbsp fresh thyme minced
  • 1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika
  • 1 1/2- 2 tsp cayenne pepper to taste
  • kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
  • lemon wedges fresh thyme sprigs or parsley for garnish

Malfouf Salad

  • 1 small white cabbage, the common plain light green cabbage
  • 3/4 cup diced cucumber
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
  • 1/2 cup chopped parsley
  • 1/4 cup freshly chopped mint
  • 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese, about 3 oz
  • 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cracked black pepper
  • 1 tsp dried mint, or oregano
  • 6-7 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

Chicken

  1. Pat dry the chicken and place in a large baking dish
  2. In a small bowl whisk together the lemon juice, the garlic, thyme, paprika and cayenne pepper.
  3. Pour the marinade over the chicken and use your fingers to make sure every nook and cranny is covered in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight. You can turn the chicken occasionally to get it all evenly soaked in the marinade.
  4. Preheat the oven to 425F.
  5. Transfer the chicken and the marinade to a large roasting pan if the one you've been marinating the chicken in can't handle the oven.
  6. Make sure the skin side is up in all cases. Sprinkle well with salt and pepper.
  7. Bake until the chicken is golden brown to mahogany, and cooked through, about 50-60 minutes. Use the juices to baste the chicken pieces occasionally.
  8. If you find the skin getting to brown, loosely cover with some tin foil.
  9. Transfer to a serving platter and let it rest for 5 minutes. Scatter some more salt over everything.
  10. You can garnish with lemon wedges, thyme sprigs or chopped parsley.

Malfouf Salad

  1. Finely shred the cabbage till you have about 6-7 cups. Place in a large bowl.

  2. Add in the cucumber, scallions, parsley, fresh mint, fresh dill and crumbled feta.

  3. In a small bowl or jar, blend the lemon juice, salt, pepper and dried mint. Drizzle in the olive oil, and shake or whisk till well blended. Taste and adjust to your liking.

  4. About 15 minutes before serving, pour 3 tbsp of the dressing over the cabbage and toss to coat well. Let the cabbage soak up the dressing to help soften it a bit. Depending on how much cabbage you actually shredded, you may need to use the remaining dressing.

  5. Just before serving, take the mint and toss well throughout the cabbage.
  6. You can shred and store the cabbage till needed. The same with the dressing.

Recipe Notes

Original Lebanese Chicken recipe from 1996 Bon Appétit magazine.

Feel free to double the amount of salad dressing and use throughout the week.

The salad can be assembled and placed in the fridge with a damp paper towel covering it.  This will keep everything fresh and crunchy.  Then just proceed with dressing it a good 15 minutes before serving it.

Leftover salad will keep in the fridge for a few days.