Quail with Date Syrup and Lemon with homemade date syrup (silan) and homemade chicken stock

👨‍🍳 Method

For the homemade chicken stock ✓ Homemade · or skip – back to store-bought

1. 1
   Put the chicken, the onion, carrot, celery, parsley, bay leaves and peppercorns and the water in a pot and bring to a boil. Skim off the foam that rises during the first 15 minutes with a spoon.

   StovePot
2. 2
   Turn down and simmer gently 2.5–3 hours.

   Stove

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
3. 3
   Strain the stock.

   Colander

For the homemade date syrup (silan) ✓ Homemade · or skip – back to store-bought

1. 4
   Put the dates and water in a pot and bring to a boil.

   StovePot
2. 5
   Cook over low heat 5 minutes and mash the dates with a wooden spoon.

   Stove
3. 6
   Line a sieve with thin cloth and set it over a bowl. Pour in the mixture, press the dates with a spoon, gather the edges of the cloth and squeeze well.

   ColanderCheeseclothBowl
4. 7
   Return the liquid to the pot and reduce over low heat about half an hour, until to a thick syrup.

   StovePot
5. 8
   Let the date syrup cool.

   Jar

For the Pan-Seared Cut

1. 9
   Rinse the chicken and pat dry thoroughly with paper towels.

   Paper towels
2. 10
   Split each one lengthwise with kitchen shears, through the breastbone.

   Kitchen shears
3. 11
   In a bowl, mix the honey, soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, salt and black pepper. Put the chicken in the bowl, pour half the marinade over and massage it in. Set the rest of the marinade aside.

   Bowl
4. 12
   Cover and marinate in the fridge at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours.

   Refrigerator
5. 13
   Take the chicken out of the fridge 20 minutes before grilling.
6. 14
   Heat the oil in a large cast-iron pan (28 cm) over medium-high heat.

   StoveCast-iron pan

   💡What you brown (meat, patties, schnitzel) goes into hot oil: in lukewarm oil it soaks it up and comes out greasy. For onion and garlic that you soften, oil heated over medium or low heat is enough; do not wait for it to smoke.
7. 15
   Lay the chicken in the pan skin side down, without crowding, and sear 3–4 minutes, until the skin browns. Flip and sear 2 more minutes.

   Stove
8. 16
   Return all of the chicken to the pan and add the rest of the marinade and the stock and lemon slices. Bring to a gentle boil.

   Stove
9. 17
   Cook over medium-low heat 10–12 minutes, spooning sauce over the meat now and then, until the sauce reduces to a dark, glossy glaze and the meat near the bone is no longer pink.

   Stove
10. 18
    Serve hot straight from the pan, with the sauce and the roasted lemons, alongside white rice.