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
Stab the chicken 2-3 times per piece on each side - this will allow the marinade to seep in.
Remove the flesh from the preserved lemon, and finely chop it. Add the chopped lemon flesh to a bowl along with the garlic, ginger, cilantro, parsley, spices, olive oil and mix well. If possible let this sit for 10 - 15 minutes.
Remove about 2-3 Tbsp of marinade and place in another bowl for later. Add the remainder of the marinade to the chicken and if time allows, let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator for several hours or even overnight.
To Cook The Chicken
Put your onions in first to your tagine or pot. No heat, no oil. Drizzle the 2 Tbsp of marinade on top of the onions. Arrange the chicken (top side down), on top of the onions.
Add the inside (peel) of preserved lemon quarters.
Drizzle olive oil, around the side of the onions and chicken and a little zig zagged on top. Add ¼ C of water.Add lid to tagine or pot, turn heat on to medium and cook.
Cover and place on medium-low heat
Allow the chicken to cook undisturbed for 10 minutes and then check to see if you have enough water, not dried out. Add water if needed.
Slightly increase the heat, and then maintain the lowest heat setting required for maintaining a gentle, not rapid, simmer.
In another 30 - 40 minutes turn the chicken pieces.
In another 20 - 30 minutes check for doneness, a fork should easily go through the chicken.
If the chicken is cooked but there is liquid left that has not evaporated, drain the water out before serving.Turn off the heat, and add olives while serving. Traditonally four olives are added to each piece of chicken.
Moroccan tradition is to eat using Moroccan bread to scoop up the chicken and sauce.
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.
Listen to Paula's Podcast interview with Siham, while you make your Tagine. Available here or on your favourite listening platform.
We love to see you making these dishes, please tag us on social media! @inmykitchenpaula for Instagram