Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemon and Olives – dinner party star. This dish has a little bit of history as I’ve been attempting to create the perfect tagine for several years. (Again, kudos to my favorite restaurant KousKous for killing it each time.) It’s one of those recipes that you need to trust in the recipe and the method and hope for the best… can’t do a ton of flavor “catch up” at the back end. This method is often frustrating for the more spontaneous (read: haphazard) chef.
Because with the tagine method: It’s all about that braise.
So I’ve probably made at least 10 different tagine recipes. I have to say none have been as successful as this try. Typically the issue is related to user error.. i.e. not having correct spices and attempting to wing-it, (also, accidentally purchasing pickled lemon instead of preserved lemon lead to some funky results.) What I like about this recipe is the spice combination and the addition of preserved lemon and olive at the END of the dish, not the beginning, so the flavors are not overwhelming. Too much preserved lemon can lead to a overly salty and bitter flavor, which is definitely not appealing.
History of Tagine
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A little history about tagine (also known as tajine): it is a Moroccan cooking vessel typically made out of clay. It has a shallow bottom bowl and a conical shaped top. The top allegedly allows for more efficient trapping of heat and moisture to return it to the food. Originally tagines were used oudoors over coals. Ovens work just fine. The types of foods that are cooked in a tagine are typically things that will hold up in a stew- tougher cuts of meats, dense seafood, chicken, root vegetables, etc. Although there are many recipes that will work very well in a tagine, one of the most classic recipes is Chicken with Preserved Lemon and Green Olive, which is specifically the recipe I’ve been religiously trying to perfect.
The recipe that I adapted is from a Michelin star chef named Mourad Lahlou. He wrote a cookbook called Mourad: New Moroccan. While I confess I didn’t purchase his cookbook, I was able to piece together his recipe through some creative googling.
I bought 4 chicken legs from my favorite butcher. If you don’t have access to whole chicken legs, you can always use a whole chicken that you cut into pieces, or you can use a combo of legs and thighs- on the bone. I think it makes a difference in terms of flavor and texture using dark meat on the bone. Prepped ingredients for the tagine.
Note: If you do not own one of the beauties, you are definitely going to be fine. Just use whatever standard oven-safe pot you would normally use for stews and braises. I can guarantee the results will still be delicious! 
This is my makeshift diffuser. You want to make sure you don’t put a clay tagine directly on heat, or it may crack. Some tagines come as cast iron so that you can directly apply to heat without worry. 
Finished tagine! Smells so delightful.
Serve with couscous and my absolute favorite Moroccan side dish/appetizer: Carrot and Chickpea Salad with Harissa.
Disclosure: some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that if you click through the link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. This helps me continue to provide delicious and free content on The Gourmet Gourmand.
Chicken Tagine With Preserved Lemon and Olives
Equipment
- Tagine or Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken Legs bone in, skin on
- 3 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 large Yellow Onion thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp Ground Coriander
- 2 tsp Ground White Pepper
- 2 tsp Ground Ginger
- 1 tsp Saffron Threads
- 1/2 tsp Ground Turmeric
- 1 1/2 cups Low Sodium Chicken Stock
- 1/4-1/2 pitted Green Olives crushed
- 1/2 Preserved Lemon (Rind Only) Minced
- 4 tbsp Butter
- Salt and Pepper (to taste)
For Garnish
- 2-3 tbsp Cilantro chopped
- 4 Preserved Lemon Rinds
Instructions
- Adjust oven to fit your tagine (if using). Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Salt and pepper chicken legs on all sides. Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high to high heat.
- Sear chicken legs, approximately 3-4 minutes on each side, or until golden browned and able to lift easily from the pan. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium and add onions. Saute until softened and golden brown.
- Add spices to the onion mixture – coriander, white pepper, ginger, saffron, turmeric, and salt. Stir to incorporate.
- Add onions in the bottom of your tagine, or dutch oven. Arrange chicken pieces amongst the onions. Add chicken stock.
- Place in preheated oven for about 45 minutes, or until the chicken meat appears to be separating from the bone.
- If using a clay tagine: place tagine onto a separate saute pan to act as a heat diffuser (prevents risk of clack cracking… omit this step if using a dutch oven or iron tagine) and turn heat to medium high. Add minced preserved lemon, crushed olives, and butter. Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Taste sauce and add additional salt and pepper, as desired.
- Garnish with quaratered preserved lemons and chopped cilantro.
That tagine is a beauty! I bet it makes you happy to cook with such pretty cookware! It looks yummy (except for the cilantro)!
Haha you can definitely skip the cilantro and just use parsley! This is the tagine Dave got me from Williams Sonoma for Christmas. He knows what I like ( aka is a good listener when I make spontaneous comments about “I love this!” regarding cookware around the holidays)
I also really like cooking with a tagine and this recipe looks delicious. We make preserved lemons several times per year so we always have them on hand. The flavor they add to a dish is pretty amazing. The addition of green olives has this recipe calling my name, meaning I’ll have to make it sooner rather than later. Really nice photos, too!