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Using Preserved Lemons in a Recipe

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It’s been a little over a month since we made preserved lemons (hopefully together!) and it’s time to try a new recipe. If you missed the blog post about this, please click here. As you recall, my first attempt at making preserved lemons was a failure. But inspired by a friend who uses them all the time, I decided to give it another go.

Dutifully, I have shaken the jar daily and I am excited to see what has transpired since I last squashed these lemons into the jar. The recipe I am sharing today is from my friend, Kim, who is an excellent cook. She read my blog post about Preserved Lemons and shared one of her favorite recipes. She is one of those friends who is so talented in just about EVERYTHING she does, so I knew this recipe, Farfalle Pasta with Lemon Chicken and Herb Salad from Joanne Weir would be a winner.

The ingredients are so Mediterranean~~olive oil, fresh herbs, pasta and preserved lemons. The colors alone made me happy! The chicken stock that I favor is the one from Costco. In this recipe you will boil 5 cups down to 1 1/4 cups so keep an eye on the pan. The reduced broth is mixed with garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and spices.

Most of the herbs came straight from my garden ~~Italian parsley, cilantro and mint. Basil doesn’t do well here in the winter so that was purchased at Safeway, as was the baby arugula.

You have the option to either grill the chicken or use the cooktop. I used the grill. Cook the chicken to a golden brown. Don’t be distracted like I was and char it a bit more than necessary. (But you can cut those parts off!)

Thinly slice the chicken and reserve.

I was excited to dig into the Preserved Lemons to see what magic took place over the last 4 weeks.

The noticeable difference was the rinds are softer (and salty!). The recipe calls for 1 preserved lemon. Pull away the pulp and discard.

Thoroughly wash the preserved lemon peel. This removes most of the salt and brine.

Cut up the peel in a 1/4″ dice. I cut mine a bit too small and would make them bigger next time because they are so flavorful.

Boil the pasta. I just love farfalle~~such fun, cute bowties! Cook until al dente (which is less time than the package suggests).

Toss all the ingredients together and season with salt and pepper. Not only is this a yummy, attractive dish, but it has plenty of greens and protein too.

The flavor of the preserved lemons was tart and salty~~a tasty zing that is a bit unexpected and works beautifully with all the other flavors.

Some changes I might make to the recipe: The Italian parsley leaves from the garden were big and I would have torn them up a bit more. The recipe calls for cilantro sprigs, but I just used the leaves. I might chop the chicken up into smaller pieces too, but the slices worked well. If you wanted more crunch, perhaps pine nuts would be a fun addition!

Do you have a preserved lemon recipe you would like to share? I may post another one that I saw in the New York Times that involves fish. We have to use up our lemons! But now after tasting them, I would add them to my salads or eggs~~the possibilities are endless! This is a great batch and I am so glad I made them! (Thank you, Ret!)

Did this week fly by for everyone??!!What are you doing with the extra Leap Year day? Have a terrific Saturday!


Farfalle Pasta with Lemon Chicken and Herb Salad

  • 1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (plus 1 Tablespoon)
  • 3 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 3 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 3/4 tsp ground cumin
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 3 boned chicken breast, (about 12 oz., trimmed)
  • 5 cups chicken stock
  • 12 oz dry farfalle pasta
  • 1/2 cup fresh Italian Parsley leaves, (washed and dried)
  • 3/4 cup fresh cilantro sprigs, (washed and dried)
  • 1/2 cup mint leaves, (washed and dried)
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh arugula, (washed and dried)
  • 1 preserved lemon (1/4" diced (optional))

  1. If you are cooking indoors, heat a cast-iron ridged grill over medium heat for 10 minutes. Otherwise, start a charcoal or gas grill. In a large bowl, whisk together 1/3 cup of the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Reserve.

  2. In the meantime, using the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, and oil the chicken breasts. Cook the chicken until golden on one side, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the chicken over, season with salt and pepper and continue to cook until done, 4 to 5 minutes (164 degrees). Slice the chicken across the grain into thin slices. Reserve.

  3. Place the chicken stock in a saucepan and over medium high heat, reduce by three-quarters. ( The reduce stock = 1.25 cups). Add the oil/lemon juice mixture and reserve.

  4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the farfalle and cook until al dente, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the pasta and toss the pasta immediately with the oil/lemon mixture, chicken pieces, parsely, cilantro, basil, mint, arugula, preserved lemons, salt and pepper. Toss well, place on platter and serve immediately.

Serves 6 to 8.

To Drink: Sauvignon Blanc

Preserved Lemon~ remove pulp from the lemon and discard; thoroughly wash lemon rind under running water before dicing