Chermoula Chicken Ramen
Chermoula is one of those sauces that makes you feel like you have been doing everything else wrong. It is just herbs and spices and oil and preserved lemon, but the combination is so good and so specific that once you taste it you start wondering why you have not been putting it on everything for years. The Moroccan version gets its character from a base of cilantro and parsley, ground cumin and paprika, and the sharp funk of preserved lemon rind, which is not the same thing as fresh lemon and should not be substituted. Roasting the chicken thighs with chermoula rubbed under the skin and over the top gives you something crispy and caramelized on the outside and deeply fragrant all the way through. The ramen broth picks up the leftover drippings from the pan, which is not a step to skip. This is a bowl that tastes like it came from somewhere specific and knows it.
Green herb paste coats skin—Cumin smoke fills the kitchen—Lemon finds the bowl
Let Me Tell You...
The first time I made chermoula I used dried herbs because I did not have fresh ones, and the result was technically edible but not the thing I was going for, which is a sauce that tastes alive rather than like the inside of a spice cabinet.
The lesson was obvious in retrospect: some things need fresh herbs and preserved lemon and actual garlic, and chermoula is one of those things.
You blend it up and the kitchen smells like somewhere in Marrakech, or at least what I imagine Marrakech smells like based on pictures and recipes and a lot of wishful thinking.
The skin crisps and the herb paste steams into the meat from both sides.
Roasting at high heat is where the magic happens, and by magic I mean the Maillard reaction, which is science and not magic but produces results that feel miraculous anyway.
The skin gets dark and crackly and the edges of the chermoula char slightly, which sounds bad but is actually the best part.
The fat and herb drippings pool at the bottom of the pan and when you deglaze that with chicken broth you get a cooking liquid that already tastes finished before you have done anything else to it.
Scrape up every bit of the dark fond.
That is where the flavor lives.
The ramen noodles are what transform this from a roasted chicken situation into a bowl you can eat for dinner without feeling like something is missing.
The broth absorbs into the noodles and they carry the cumin and herb flavor into every bite in a way that rice or couscous does not quite achieve, though I would not say that too loudly around anyone Moroccan.
Preserved lemon goes in at the end: just the rind, finely minced, stirred into the broth right before serving so it stays sharp and bright.
Scrape and discard the pulp.
The rind is the thing you want.
A drizzle of harissa over the top gives you the heat the chermoula does not provide on its own, and a handful of fresh cilantro and parsley scattered over the bowl ties back to the sauce underneath the chicken.
This is not a quick weeknight bowl.
It is the kind of thing you make on a Sunday when you want the apartment to smell good for a few hours and end up with something worth sitting down for.
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (3-4 thighs)
- 8 ounces dried ramen noodles (2 bricks, seasoning packets discarded)
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, packed
- 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems, packed
- 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1/4 preserved lemon, pulp removed, rind finely minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 425 F. Make chermoula: combine cilantro, parsley, garlic, preserved lemon rind, cumin, paprika, coriander, cayenne, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a food processor. Pulse until a coarse paste forms. Season with salt and pepper.
- Pat chicken thighs dry. Loosen the skin with your fingers and push a heaping tablespoon of chermoula underneath the skin of each thigh. Rub remaining chermoula over the tops and sides. Season all over with salt.
- Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken thighs skin-side down and sear for 3 minutes until the skin begins to color. Flip skin-side up and transfer skillet to oven. Roast for 28-32 minutes until skin is deeply browned and internal temperature reads 165 F.
- Remove chicken to a cutting board. Place skillet over medium heat and add chicken broth. Scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Simmer for 3-4 minutes, then taste and adjust salt. Keep broth warm over low heat.
- Bring a separate large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook ramen noodles for 90 seconds, pulling them 30 seconds before package directions say to. Drain and divide between 2-4 bowls.
- Remove chicken skin and shred or slice the meat off the bone into thick pieces. Ladle the hot chermoula broth over the noodles in each bowl. Arrange chicken pieces on top. Garnish with fresh cilantro and parsley. Add optional toppings and serve immediately.