Ever since I tried black lemons in another Saudi Arabian dish I loved the complex flavors they provided. The lemons are technically limes that are dried and charred, giving them a smokey citrusy taste. I punctured the lemons and placed them inside the chicken cavity to roast. The chicken is roasted in Baharat, a middle east spice blend and honey. The dark color of the skin comes from the ground black lemons. It was a simple dish that goes nicely on a bed of jasmine rice or with sourdough flat bread.
Baharat and Black Lemon Roasted Chicken
(Makes 1 whole chicken)
Printable Version
Ingredients:
- 1 whole chicken
- 3 black lemons
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp Baharat
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- water or chicken stock
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Rub the chicken in a glass dish with olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Cut 2 1 inch slits on the skin of the breast meat.
- Rub the whole chicken with the baharat and make sure to get the spice underneath the skin where the slits were cut.
- Drizzle the top with honey.
- Add 3 black lemons into the chicken cavity and truss the legs.
- Add some water or chicken stock into the glass pan.
- Cover with foil and bake at 375F for 90 minutes to 2 hours or until an internal thermometer reads 165-170F.