Kitchen · Main dishes
Chicken tagine with preserved lemon and olives
The tagine every Moroccan home knows. The sauce should be thick, never soupy.
- Preparation20 min
- Cooking1 h
- Total1 h 20 min
- Serves5
Ingredients
| 1.5 kg | chicken, cut into pieces |
| 2 | onions, finely chopped |
| 3 | garlic cloves, crushed |
| 1 | preserved lemon |
| 150 g | green or purple olives |
| 1 tsp | ground ginger |
| 1 tsp | turmeric |
| ½ tsp | black pepper |
| pinch | saffron |
| 3 tbsp | chopped coriander and parsley |
| 3 tbsp | olive oil |
| 250 ml | water |
| salt, sparingly: the lemon and olives are salty |
Method
- Scoop the flesh out of the preserved lemon and chop it. Cut the rind into quarters and keep it for the end.
- Rub the chicken with the spices, garlic, lemon flesh and half the oil. Leave for at least an hour, or overnight in the fridge.
- In a tagine or a heavy pot, soften the onions in the rest of the oil. Add the chicken and colour it lightly for 5 minutes on each side.
- Add the herbs and the water. Cover and cook over low heat for 45 to 50 minutes, turning the pieces once.
- Add the olives and the lemon rind. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes more, until the sauce is thick and glossy. Serve with bread.
Tip
With a clay tagine on a gas flame, use a heat diffuser and start on low heat so the base does not crack.