Chicken Tagine With Olives and Preserved Lemons

Recipe from Shallots New York

Adapted by Florence Fabricant

Updated January 24, 2019

  • Michael Kraus for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
1 hour, plus marinating
Rating
5(4,275)
Comments
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This rich and fragrant chicken stew is laden with complex flavors and spices reminiscent of the sort you might encounter in a mountainside cafe in Morocco. Save yourself the cost of a plane ticket, however, and make this at home. First, rub the chicken with a redolent combination of garlic, saffron, ground ginger, paprika, cumin, turmeric and black pepper, then pop it into the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours to marinate. Once that's done, brown the chicken parts, and remove from the pan, making room for a pile of sliced onions that you'll sauté until golden brown. Nestle a cinnamon stick into the tangle of onions, pile the chicken parts on top and scatter with slices of preserved lemons and olives, a combination of green and kalamata. Add a bit of chicken stock and lemon juice, then cook over low heat until the chicken is cooked through, and your house smells amazing. —Florence Fabricant

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped

  • 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

  • 1 chicken, cut in 8 to 10 pieces

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

  • 3 medium onions, sliced thin

  • 1 cinnamon stick

  • 8 calamata olives, pitted and halved

  • 8 cracked green olives, pitted and halved

  • 1 large or 3 small preserved lemons (sold in specialty food shops)

  • 1 cup chicken stock

  • Juice of ½ lemon

  • 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

13 grams carbs; 227 milligrams cholesterol; 781 calories; 25 grams monosaturated fat; 11 grams polyunsaturated fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 55 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 1056 milligrams sodium; 59 grams protein; 4 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Mix garlic, saffron, ginger, paprika, cumin and turmeric together. If not using kosher chicken, add ½ teaspoon salt. Add pepper to taste. Rub chicken with mixture, cover, refrigerate and marinate 3 to 4 hours.

  2. Step 2

    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.

  3. Step 3

    Put chicken on onions. Scatter with olives. Quarter the lemons, remove pulp and cut skin in strips. Scatter over chicken. Mix stock and lemon juice. Pour over chicken.

  4. Step 4

    Cover tagine or skillet. Place over low heat, and cook about 30 minutes, until chicken is done. Scatter parsley on top, and serve.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
4,275 user ratings
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Comments

Michael

I've made this several times.
A few points/suggestions.
* See Paula Wolfert's "Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco" for variations.
* I know it's customary to use both saffron and turmeric in Morocco. IMO this is a mistake. Turmeric is excellent, but it's not subtle and overwhelms the saffron. Use one or the other. I use saffron.
* The recipe says discard the preserved lemon pulp. However, Paula Wolfert says she does not bother and uses the pulp. So do I.

Nancy

"Marinating" the chicken in the spices doesn't really work. Skip this step and add the spices to the onions. (The spice rub burned in the pan while the chicken was browning.)

Meri

I have made this several times. I use 6-8 chicken thighs, bone-in and skin on. After browning chicken in step 2, I remove and discard the skin, leaving flavorful fond in the skillet. Drain excess chicken fat at this point.
I increase the amount of olives, and sometimes garnish with cilantro instead of parsley. A small amount of honey, added at the end of cooking, can add balance if it's too acidic.

faith holsaert

ny times cooking has an excellent and quick recipe for preserved lemons.

Stephanie

I too was astounded by the amount of liquid, so added a cup orzo toward the end - 1/2 cup would have been enough. Added a bunch of chopped chard in with the onions as well, so was happy with the one-pot effort. We liked the flavors well enough; probably won't make it again tho.

Pam

I have an induction stove top and would like to cook this in the oven with a tagine. Has anyone ever done that? What temp and how long. I suspect the tagine needs to be on a sheet pan?? Suggestions?

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Credits

Adapted from Shallots New York

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