Moroccan Chicken and Olive Tagine is a one of the staples of Moroccan (and Algerian) cuisine. The chicken is tender and moist while the preserved lemon and olives add a tangy richness and flavor to this savory dish. Tagines are always served with traditional Moroccan couscous or msmen flatbread.
Chicken and Olive Ingredients and Spices
As a result of its Mediterranean climate, Moroccan agriculture is abundant in citrus fruits, wine grapes, barley, wheat, tomatoes, potatoes, olives, and olive oil. Spices are the heart of almost every Moroccan dish.
Moroccan cooks use cinnamon, cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, saffron, white pepper, red chili, cloves and sesame to create tasty stews, meat dishes and sweets.
Moroccan Chicken and Olives embraces the local agriculture and spices. Depending on the mood, I sometimes substitute the green olives with black Kalamata or Syrian olives. Or you can choose to combine both green and black olives together.
Using a Tagine
I typically make this dish in the traditional Moroccan tagine. The shallow sides and cone-shaped cover help it cook slowly, using minimal water. The flavor of foods cooked in a tagine always seems richer and more rustic. It’s also hard to overcook or burn something in a tagine.
The earliest written records about the concept of cooking in a tagine appear in the famous One Thousand and One Nights, an Arabic-language story collection from the 9th century.
However, you can make this recipe in a Dutch oven, slow-cooker or covered deep skillet.
Preparing Moroccan Chicken and Olives
You can save some time by prepping all the ingredients in advance. Buying a whole chicken that is already pre-cut into 8-10 pieces helps a lot. Then, slice the onions and preserved lemon. Prepare a cup of chicken stock (or make your own with water and a bouillon cube). Drain and halve the olives. Measure out all the spices onto one plate. Then, squeeze one lemon.
Heat your skillet and add the oil. Once the oil starts to smoke, add the chicken and brown it on all sides. You are just looking to sear it, not cook it all the way through. Remove the chicken and place it on a platter.
Lower the heat to medium and add the onions. Cook them until they are translucent. Add a cinnamon stick, then add the garlic, saffron, ginger, paprika, cumin and turmeric. Put the browned chicken on the onions. Spread the olives over the chicken. Then add the preserved lemon. Add stock and lemon juice and pour over chicken.
Cover the tagine or the skillet. Place over low heat, and cook about 30 minutes, until chicken is done. Garnish with chopped parsley on top, and serve with couscous or flatbread.
Moroccan Chicken and Olive Tagine with Preserved Lemon
Equipment
- Tagine or dutch oven or deep skillet
DESCRIPTION
INGREDIENTS
- 1 chicken (cut in 8 to 10 pieces)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 medium onions (sliced thinly)
- 12 ounces Kalamata, black and/or green olives (pitted and halved)
- 1 large preserved lemon
- 1 cup chicken stock
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 5 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- 1 stick cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon saffron threads (pulverized)
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat oil in heavy skillet. Add chicken, and brown on all sides. Remove to platter. Add onions to skillet, and cook over medium-low heat about 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer to tagine, if you are using one, or leave in skillet. Add cinnamon stick.
- Mix garlic, saffron, ginger, paprika, cumin and turmeric together.
- Put chicken on onions. Scatter with olives. Quarter the lemons and cut skin in strips. Spread over chicken. Add stock and lemon juice and pour over chicken.
- Cover tagine or skillet. Place over low heat, and cook about 30 minutes, until chicken is done. Scatter parsley on top, and serve.
NUTRITION
See more tagine recipes like this here.
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