A tagine with chicken, olives and preserved lemons always gets my attention. And the fact that this was supposed to be a quick dinner made it worth a try (it was done in under an hour). Serves 4:
Chicken and Olive Tagine
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
For the marinade
- ½ cup vegetable or chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed
- 1 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves and stems, plus more for garnishing
- 1 to 2 tablespoons seeded and finely chopped preserved lemon or the zest of 1 lemon
- 3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- Salt and pepper
For the tagine
- 1¼ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs cut into 1- to 1½-inch pieces
- ½ cup pitted Castelvetrano or Kalamata olives, for serving
- 2 lemons, cut into wedges, for serving
Heat the oil in a large pan, with a lid, over medium-low heat. Add the onions, cover and cook, allowing the onions to start sweating, about 5 minutes.
While the onions are cooking, make the marinade: In a medium bowl combine the stock, oil, cilantro, 1 tablespoon preserved lemon, garlic, honey, turmeric, ginger, ¾ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
Stir about half of the marinade into the pan containing the onions. Cover and cook over low, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent, 10 to 15 minutes.
Add the chicken to the bowl containing the remaining marinade and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate while the onions finish.
When the onions are soft and translucent, add the chicken and the marinade to the pan. Cover and simmer over medium-low for 15 to 20 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken, stirring occasionally, until the meat is fully cooked.
If the pan gets dry while the chicken is cooking, add a little more stock or water until the sauce is the desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and preserved lemon to taste.
Garnish with olives and cilantro, serve with lemon wedges and enjoy!
My verdict:
This is an easy recipe and tasted great. It would be a much simpler dish if boneless skinless chicken thighs were easier to find here, but I’ll stick to thighs since (duck) breasts got me kicked off of Facebook.
I served it over couscous but you could use rice or pita bread–something to soak up the sauce.
Next time, I might use some whole chicken thighs, brown the skin, and then let them cook with the onions. It might take more cooking time, but less boning time.
