Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemon & Olives
Submitted by happyzhangbo
Classic Moroccan chicken tagine with turmeric-rubbed free-range chicken, preserved lemon rind, and briny black olives. Slow-simmered until fall-apart tender and served over rice.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
12 minCOOK
90 minREADY
105 minThis is one of the great dishes of Moroccan cooking, and it’s simpler than you might think.
Free-range chicken gets rubbed with turmeric and olive oil, then browned until golden before slow-simmering in a fragrant sauce of tomato, onion, garlic, and fresh lemon juice.
The real stars arrive at the end: strips of preserved lemon rind and a generous handful of black olives stirred into the pot for a final 10-minute simmer.
That combination of salty, sour, and earthy is what makes a tagine unforgettable.
Serve it over fluffy rice and let the sauce do all the work.
Chef Tips
- Preserved lemons are essential here; fresh lemon is not a substitute for that intense, floral saltiness. Look for them in Middle Eastern grocery stores or make your own weeks ahead
- Use only the rind of the preserved lemon and discard the pulp, which can be overpowering
- Skim the fat from the sauce before adding the olives for a cleaner, lighter finish
- Flat-leaf parsley is traditional; don’t swap it for cilantro in this dish
Ingredients
Directions
Rub chicken with oil and turmeric, then season with salt and black pepper.
Heat a heavy-based casserole dish, add chicken and cook until golden on both sides.
Add onion, tomato, parsley, garlic and lemon juice, bring to a simmer and cook over moderate heat for 80 to 90 minutes, or until chicken is tender.
Place on a platter.
Remove any fat from pan.
Return chicken to pan with preserved lemon rind and black olives.
Simmer for 10 minutes, then serve with rice.
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