Celebrity chef and cookbook author Joshua Weissman stopped by “The Jennifer Hudson Show” to teach Jennifer Hudson how to make his wife Kate’s very juicy, very delicious lemon chicken dish, featured in his cookbook “Texture Over Taste.”

“This is like a date night thing,” he said of the chicken. “This is like, you’re trying to get someone to like you a little more.”

Don’t worry about the recipe disrupting any romance with its whole onion and 20 garlic cloves. “You’re both going to have onion breath, it’s fine!” he assured.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

2 1⁄2 tablespoons (38 ml) vegetable oil
4 chicken leg quarters
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 medium yellow onion, diced
20 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon (10 g) smoked paprika
1⁄2 teaspoon (2 g) ground cumin
1 teaspoon (3 g) ground turmeric
3⁄4 teaspoon (1 g) saffron threads
1 cup (250 ml) dry chardonnay
1 cup (250 ml) chicken stock
1 cup (150 g) Castelvetrano olives, pitted, plus more for garnish
2 tbsp (30 g) finely diced preserved lemon skin
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoon (6 g) finely chopped parsley

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HEAT the vegetable oil until very hot and shimmering in a braising pot or large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Pat the chicken leg quarters dry with paper towels and then season generously with kosher salt and black pepper. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot, place the leg quarters in the pot and sear for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Transfer the browned chicken to a tray or large plate.

REDUCE the heat to medium, and add the yellow onion and garlic. Sauté for 2 to 4 minutes, or until the onion begins to soften, and then add the smoked paprika, cumin, turmeric, and saffron. Cook until the spices are toasted, and then add the chardonnay. Increase the heat to medium-high, and bring the mixture to a boil.

COOK until the liquid is reduced by half and then add the chicken stock. Return the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and simmer. Add the chicken leg quarters back to the pot skin side up, nestling them into the pot so they’re in a single layer. Add the Castelvetrano olives, preserved lemon skin, and bay leaves. Cover with a lid and continue to simmer for 45 to 60 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and tender.

USE a slotted spatula or tongs to carefully transfer the chicken to a warm platter. If a lot of braising liquid remains in the pot, increase the heat to medium-high and bring the liquid to a boil. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half and lightly thickened. Remove the bay leaves, stir in the parsley, and then season to taste with salt and pepper.

SERVE over rice with some of the braising liquid spooned over the chicken. Garnish with extra olives and some of the braised garlic cloves.

Check out more delicious recipes featured on the show!

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