Chicken with green olives

A very tasty Arabic recipe that will surprise all the members of your family.

INGREDIENTS (4 people):

• 1 whole chicken chopped in  eight parts or thighs (2 per person)
• 50 pitted and unstuffed olives
• 1 large (sweet) or fresh red onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Chopped fresh parsley
• Half a teaspoon of pepper
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 pinch of saffron
• Lemon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Clarified butter or extra virgin olive oil *

* Clarified butter or smen is traditional in this preparation. It is achieved by melting the lamb's milk butter and collecting only the clarified part of it. If you don't want to use it - or you don't have the opportunity to get it - traditional olive oil will be more than enough.

In a casserole we arrange the smen or the oil, the chopped onion and the chicken. Add the spices and garlic cloves and fry. When the onion is transparent, add half a liter (2 cups and a half)  of water and cover the pot, leaving it to cook for half an hour.

While the chicken is done we are going to prepare the olives since we cannot incorporate them as they are since they would  bitter the stew. To avoid this we boil water in a saucepan. Once bubbling we remove it from the heat and add two or three lemon slices and the olives, keeping them for 15 minutes. After that time we remove them and let the excess water drain.

After half an hour of cooking the chicken, add the blanched olives and let it cook for ten more minutes this time with the casserole uncovered. We rectify salt and pepper if necessary.

Next, we arrange the contents of the casserole on a tray that can be baked. We preheat it to 180 degrees (356 F) and keep the tray for half an hour or until the chicken is well browned.

They are served by sprinkling the source with chopped parsley. A recipe that you will surely repeat.