When the Byron Bay evenings turn cool and the craving for something rich and slow-cooked sets in, this is the recipe we reach for. It's Mediterranean soul food — unhurried, deeply savoury, and built around the kind of bold, earthy ingredients that only get better the longer they cook together.
Our Byron Bay olives are the star here. Briny, meaty, and full of character, they dissolve gently into the braising liquid and perfume the whole dish. Pair them with the caramel-sweet depth of black garlic and the bright citrus punch of preserved lemon, and you have a layered flavour profile that feels both ancient and completely effortless.
Ingredients
Serves 4 — prep 15 min — cook 1 hr 30 min
For the braise
- 1.5 kg bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (thighs and drumsticks work best)
- 3 tbsp Byron Bay Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus extra to finish
- 1 large brown onion, thinly sliced
- 1 head of black garlic, cloves peeled (about 10–12 cloves)
- 4 cloves regular garlic, finely sliced
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp chilli flakes (optional)
- 400 ml dry white wine
- 300 ml good chicken stock
- 1 x 400g tin of crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup Byron Bay mixed olives (or Kalamata), pitted
- ½ preserved lemon, flesh discarded, rind finely sliced
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- Sea salt and cracked black pepper
To serve
- Handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- Lemon zest, to finish
- Crusty sourdough, couscous, or creamy polenta
Method
1. Season & sear the chicken
Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towel and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based Dutch oven or casserole dish over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sear the chicken skin-side down for 5–6 minutes until deep golden. Flip and cook a further 2 minutes. Set aside.
2. Build the base
Reduce heat to medium. In the same pot, add the sliced onion and cook for 8–10 minutes until soft and lightly caramelised. Add the sliced regular garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the smoked paprika, cumin, cinnamon, and chilli flakes, toasting the spices for 30 seconds.
3. Add the black garlic
Add the peeled black garlic cloves whole — they're soft and jammy, so they'll melt into the sauce as it braises, lending a deep, almost balsamic sweetness without any sharpness. Stir them gently through the onion base.
4. Deglaze & braise
Pour in the white wine and let it bubble for 2 minutes, scraping up any caramelised bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the crushed tomatoes and chicken stock. Nestle the chicken pieces back in, skin-side up. Scatter over the olives, preserved lemon rind, thyme, and rosemary. Bring to a gentle simmer.
5. Slow cook
Cover with a lid and reduce heat to low. Cook for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until the chicken is completely tender and the sauce has thickened and deepened. For the last 15 minutes, remove the lid to let the skin crisp slightly and the sauce reduce further.
6. Finish & serve
Taste and adjust seasoning — preserved lemon is salty, so go easy before adding more salt. Drizzle with a final glug of your best Byron Bay EVOO, scatter over fresh parsley and a little lemon zest. Serve straight from the pot with crusty sourdough to mop up every last drop of the sauce, or spoon over couscous or creamy polenta.
A Few Notes from Our Kitchen
On the black garlic: If you haven't cooked with black garlic before, you're in for a treat. The long fermentation process transforms regular garlic into something entirely different — dark, sticky, and sweet, with notes of molasses and tamarind. No sharpness, no pungency. Just quiet, complex depth.
On the olives: We love using our Byron Bay mixed olives here — a variety gives you different textures and intensities of brine throughout the dish. If you only have Kalamata on hand, they work beautifully too.
On preserved lemon: Only use the rind — scoop out and discard the flesh. The rind carries all that concentrated citrus and salt that makes the dish sing. A little goes a long way.
Make ahead: Like most braises, this is even better the next day once all the flavours have had time to settle. Store covered in the fridge and reheat gently over low heat.
We'd love to see your version of this dish — tag us @byronbayolives and share your winter table with us.