Chicken Tagine (Chicken with Preserved Lemons & Olives)
Siham Lahmine's Chicken Tagine
This recipe is featured in the In My Kitchen with Paula Podcast Show, Eps 41 with Siham Lahmine
Ingredients
1 whole chicken, skin removed, cut into pieces or 9-12 bone-in, skinless chicken thighs (see notes)
1 kilo (approx 8 medium onions) of onions, very finely chopped
One small handful of fresh coriander/cilantro, chopped
- 2 or 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or pressed
2 teaspoons ginger finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled (optional)
- 1 handful green or purple olives, or mixed
1 preserved lemon, quartered and seeds removed (see notes)
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup water, approximately
Directions
Prepare The Chicken
Remove the flesh from the preserved lemon, and finely chop it. Add the chopped lemon flesh to a bowl along with the chicken, garlic, ginger, cilantro, parsley, and spices, and mix well.
If time allows, let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator for several hours or even overnight.
To Cook The Chicken
Add enough of the olive oil to the pot to coat the bottom. Arrange the chicken (underside down), and distribute the onions all around.
Add the inside (peel) of preserved lemon quarters, and drizzle the remaining olive oil over the chicken. Add the water to the pot if needed, cover, and place on a diffuser (if needed) over a medium-low heat.
Slightly increase the heat, and then maintain the lowest heat setting required for maintaining a gentle, not rapid, simmer.
Allow the chicken to cook undisturbed for 80 to 90 minutes, and then turn the chicken over so that it’s underside is up. Cover the pot again, and allow the chicken to finish cooking until very tender.
Turn off the heat, and add olives while serving.
Moroccan tradition is to eat using Moroccan bread to scoop up the chicken and sauce. French fries are frequently served with this dish, and may even be placed on top of the chicken.
Recipe Note
Preserved lemons:
If you do not have preserved lemons, you can substitute with a regular lemon by making the following changes: add a pinch of salt to your chicken when you add it to the pot. Add the juice of 1 lemon at the end of cooking. Use a vegetable peeler to peel off some strips of lemon skin without the plith (white part) and add them to the pot as per the preserved lemon instructions.
Chicken:
You may use a variety of chicken pieces, such as the whole chicken or thighs only or a mix of thighs and drumsticks. Remove the skin off your chicken, bone-in will provide more flavour but boneless works too. You want to have about 9-12 pieces.
A Tagine vs A Pot
If you are using your tagine for the first time, follow the instructions to season it, and determine if you need a diffuser or not. If you do not have a tagine, a pot works just as well for this recipe.
In My Kitchen creates connections one dish at a time, using food as a gateway to cross-cultural understanding and well-being. Through her In My Kitchen with Paula Podcast Show travel journal speaking engagements and Culture & Connection Club, Paula guides travellers to flourish, on the road and at home.
We love to see you making these dishes, please tag us on social media! @inmykitchenpaula for Instagram