This chicken tagine with preserved lemons and olives is a Moroccan classic. You'll find a few variations, with this being one of my favorites since it adds lots of wonderful herb flavors into the chicken along with the bright lemon and olives. Comforting and delicious.
![This chicken tagine with preserved lemons and olives is a Moroccan classic. This version has lots of wonderful herb flavors along with the bright lemon and olives. Comforting, fresh and delicious. bowl of chicken tagine with preserved lemons and olives from overhead with lemon to side](https://www.carolinescooking.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Chicken-tagine-with-preserved-lemons-and-olives-photo.jpg)
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One of the things I have always loved about Moroccan cooking is the many soups and stews that have such depth of flavor. Many use a broad range of herbs and spices which can seem intimidating, but it's actually easy cooking. Once the base ingredients and spices are in, the cooking is generally hands-off. But the result is a delicious, complex mix of flavors.
What is a tagine?
A tagine (or tajine) is technically a pot rather than a food. Though that said, the dishes cooked in it tend to go by the same name. The tagine dish is a ceramic pot of Berber origins. The pot is round and typically relatively shallow on the bottom with a conical lid. The idea is that the space in the lid creates steam that circulates round as the food cooks slowly in the embers of the fire.
![This chicken tagine with preserved lemons and olives is a Moroccan classic. This version has lots of wonderful herb flavors along with the bright lemon and olives. Comforting, fresh and delicious. side view of Chicken tagine with preserved lemons and olives with herbs and lemon to side](https://www.carolinescooking.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Chicken-tagine-with-preserved-lemons-and-olives-picture.jpg)
Tagine dishes are mostly (if not always) stews, often with various aromatic spices to flavor the meat and/or vegetables in the dish. A number use dried fruits in the mix, too. These days the dishes are most associated with Morocco but also neighboring countries.
This chicken version comes in a few variations. Some keep the flavorings more simple while others make a version of chermoula sauce to use as a marinade for the chicken that then also adds flavor as it cooks. It's this latter style which I have gone for here. I've drawn on a few recipes, particularly this Cooking with Alia recipe and SBS food recipe.
![ingredients for chicken tagine with preserved lemon and olives bowl with chicken thighs, plates with herbs and spices and olive oil](https://www.carolinescooking.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/ingredients-Chicken-tagine-with-preserved-lemons-and-olives.jpg)
The marinade here is packed with a mix of herbs, aromatic spices along with lemon and oil that work their way into the chicken both during marinading and cooking. There's a little bit of preserved lemon in the mixture but the main time you add this is at the end, before serving.
What are preserved lemons?
In case you haven't come across them before, preserved lemons are simply lemons preserved in salt and lemon juice, sometimes with a couple other aromatics in there. Over time, the lemons break down a little and the flavor takes on an extra dimension.
![marinade for chicken tagine with preserved lemon and olives blended herbs and spices in food processor](https://www.carolinescooking.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/marinade-Chicken-tagine-with-preserved-lemons-and-olives.jpg)
They are a popular ingredient in Moroccan cooking, adding a level of complexity to various dishes. Think of lemon but turned up a notch with that added salinity. You can buy them in many stores these days, but they are also easy to make at home (see the recipe linked above).
Here, they are a big part of the flavors in this comforting dish. When combined with the olives as well, you get a great punch of flavor that works well with the tender chicken.
![This chicken tagine with preserved lemons and olives is a Moroccan classic. This version has lots of wonderful herb flavors along with the bright lemon and olives. Comforting, fresh and delicious. dish with pieces of Chicken tagine with preserved lemons and olives with lemon above dish](https://www.carolinescooking.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Chicken-tagine-with-preserved-lemons-and-olives-ohead-pic.jpg)
This chicken tagine with preserved lemons and olives is packed with bright flavors, but is also a wonderfully comforting dish as well. You would typically serve it over couscous which pairs perfectly, but you could also serve it with bread to dip in the sauce or over rice instead. Either way, be sure to mop up all the tasty flavors in the sauce.
Try these other delicious chicken recipes:
- Aji de gallina (Peruvian chicken stew, with a creamy chili-nut sauce)
- Chicken Provençal (an easy French dish with herbs, olives and tomatoes)
- Musakhan (Palestinian sumac chicken)
- Plus get more North African recipes and main dishes in the archives.
Chicken tagine with preserved lemons and olives
Ingredients
- 2 lb chicken thighs bone-in (2lb is approx 5 or 6 thighs)
For marinade
- 1 tablespoon garlic roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoon cilantro coriander leaves - leaves only, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoon parsley roughly chopped
- ¼ preserved lemon skin part only (discard flesh) - approx 2tsp
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon saffron powder (see notes)
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice approx - around ½ lemon
To cook chicken
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- ½ cup chicken stock or water
To serve
- ¼ cup pitted olives (can use black or green)
- ½ preserved lemon
- 1 tablespoon cilantro coriander (and/or parsley), chopped
Instructions
Ahead of time
- Remove any excess fat and trim any loose pieces of skin from the chicken. Place the chicken in a dish or container that you will use for marinating.
- Add all of the marinade ingredients into a food processor and blend until relatively smooth. If needed, stop and scrape down the sides before blending again to make sure all of the herbs in particular are blended.
- Spread the marinade all over the chicken on both sides, but leave the skin attached. Cover and refrigerate while the chicken marinates for at least 2 hours but overnight if possible.
When ready to cook
- When ready to cook, warm the oil in a Dutch oven or other dish with a lid large enough to hold the chicken in a single layer (a tagine would be ideal) over a medium heat. Meanwhile, finely chop the onion then add this to the pot/dish and soften for a few minutes.
- Add the chicken on top of the onion in a single layer, skin side down initially - you can nestle it down so that it makes contact better with the pan if you like. Once it has gently browned on the first side, turn over and cook another couple of minutes then add the stock/water and bring to a simmer.
- Reduce the heat, cover the dish/pot and leave to simmer for approximately 45 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
- In the final minutes, prepare the preserved lemon by removing the fleshy part of the lemon and cutting the skin part into thin slices. Finely chop the cilantro and/or parsley.
- Add the olives, preserved lemon and cilantro/parsley either with the chicken and cook another minute or add over the finished dish to serve. Works well served with couscous.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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![This chicken tagine with preserved lemons and olives is a Moroccan classic. This version has lots of wonderful herb flavors along with the bright lemon and olives. Comforting, fresh and delicious. This chicken tagine with preserved lemons and olives is a Moroccan classic. This version has lots of wonderful herb flavors along with the bright lemon and olives. Comforting, fresh and delicious.](https://www.carolinescooking.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/chicken-tagine-with-preserved-lemons-and-olives-pin.jpg)
Sisley White
I love tagine and this recipe of chicken with preserved lemons is brilliant. Full of taste and easy to make. You will love it.
Caroline's Cooking
So glad to hear!