If you’re looking for something new and delicious to do with chicken, then you’ve come to the right place.
Moroccan cuisine is steeped in history, tradition, and, in our opinion, incredible depth of flavor and texture in so many ways. This recipe is no exception. The spices, the broth, the preserved lemons, olives, and perfectly cooked chicken all come together to make a truly magical dish.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN TAGINE WITH PRESERVED LEMONS AND OLIVES
In most Moroccan kitchens, this dish would be made with an actual tagine, which is a pottery cooking vessel consisting of two parts: a circular base unit that is flat with low sides and a large cone, or dome-shaped cover that sits on the base during cooking. (See video for visual reference.)
For those who don’t own a tagine, you can still get wonderful results in a nice, large skillet or saucepan.
QUALITY INGREDIENTS MAKE A DIFFERENCE
We’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: Most recipes are only as good as the quality of ingredients that comprise the dish.
For this recipe, we stick with traditional Moroccan ingredients, such as saffron threads, turmeric, coriander, plus others.
EXPERT TIP: Saffron threads, turmeric, and coriander can be found in the spice section of most well-stocked supermarkets, gourmet food markets, or online.
Preserved lemons are very common in Moroccan and Middle Eastern cooking, and we flip for them.
They are lemons that have been liberally pickled in salt and lemon juice for at least 1 month.
EXPERT TIP: We don’t recommend skipping the preserved lemons in this recipe. You know how fresh lemon brightens so many dishes. These preserved lemons go even further. They are not difficult to make at home, but you need to give yourself at least a month. We always order ours online and keep extra on hand. They will stay perfectly good for months on end.
Slicing them and browning them in your skillet is an amazing start to this spectacular dish. Set them aside once they are nicely browned.
THE BEST TYPE OF CHICKEN AND BROTH FOR CHICKEN TAGINE
We always go with chicken thighs when making a dish like this.
The dark meat is so flavorful and remains extremely tender during the braising process.
EXPERT TIP FOR THE CHICKEN: Bone-in, skin-on always delivers exceptional taste. Searing the pieces, skin-side down, will get the skin super crispy and will deepen the flavor of the dish.
After removing the seared chicken thighs from the skillet, it’s time to really amp up the flavors of this amazing Chicken Tagine.
Cook the onions and garlic until nice and translucent.
Now, stir in the spices and get ready for an amazingly delicious smell to emanate from your kitchen.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH CHICKEN TAGINE
Chicken tagine is traditionally served over herbed couscous.
Place one or two of the cooked chicken thighs over a bed of couscous, and then ladle the sauce with lemons and olives all over it.
This dish is stunning in presentation, and just wait until you take that first bite.
We love this Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons and Olives beyond words.
Unbelievably flavorful, and you truly feel transported to a magical place with every single scrumptious bite.
The recipe is best served right off the stove, but it is still incredibly delicious when gently reheated the next day.
Ready to do something truly special with those chicken thighs you have on hand? Go for it!
And when you make this spectacular dish, be sure to take a photo, post it on Instagram, and tag @HowToFeedaLoon and hashtag #HowToFeedaLoon!
Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons and Olives
Video
Equipment
- Tagine, or a large skillet/saucepan with a tight-fitting lid
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon saffron threads
- 1½ cup chicken broth or stock
- 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 3 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 2 preserved lemons sliced
- 6 chicken thighs bone-in, skin on
- 1½ cups onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1¼ cups green olives pitted
- 4 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon lemon zest
- ½ cup cilantro fresh, chopped
- ¼ cup pistachios roughly chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Use your fingers to crumble the saffron threads into the chicken broth and stir until they are dissolved. Set aside.1 tablespoon saffron threads, 1½ cup chicken broth
- On a plate, season the flour with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Dredge the chicken through the seasoned flour until fully coated3 tablespoon all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat.3 tablespoon olive oil
- Sear the lemon slices until browned slightly on both sides, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the skillet and set aside.2 preserved lemons
- In the same skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken, skin side down, until golden and crispy, about 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate. (The chicken will not be fully cooked at this point.)6 chicken thighs
- Add the onion to the skillet and cook until soft and translucent, about 4 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds, stirring occasionally.1½ cups onion, 4 cloves garlic
- Stir into the onions the paprika, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, coriander, turmeric, and ½ teaspoon salt. Stir until combined and very fragrant, about 1 minute.2 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- Add the stock-saffron and use a wooden spoon to deglaze the pan by scraping up any bits that are stuck to the bottom of the skillet.
- Place the chicken, skin-side up, throughout the pan. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Remove the lid and stir in the reserved lemons, olives, lemon juice, zest, and cilantro. Cover and simmer for 10 more minutes.1¼ cups green olives, 4 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 tablespoon lemon zest, ½ cup cilantro
- Serve over couscous and garnish with remaining cilantro and chopped pistachios.¼ cup pistachios
Gil Brown says
We just got back from Morocco. I liked your version of making the tagine, although it’s quite different from the one we made at cooking class we had at our hotel, which had potatoes, zucchini, tomatoes, green beans and peas also added to the tagine. I’m going to try your recipe.
Yasmin Ismail says
Hi! Any idea how I can scale the recipe for a crowd? I’d like to make it using about 6 lbs of chicken thighs, skinless and boneless. Thanks
Kris Longwell says
Hi Yasmin! So sorry for the delayed response! You could triple the recipe with all ingredients and be in good shape. You could easily serve in a large chaffing dish or a couple of platters with the sauce poured all over the chicken. Please let us know how it turns out and if you have any other questions! Best, Kris & Wesley
Dawn Fritzell says
Omg! I made this dish for my family,
It was so delicious. I received a call the next day from my daughter in law
At 11:00 am and she was eating the leftovers! She loved it so much, now she wants me to make it for her parents, so happy to do!
Thank you so much for making me the star cook of the family.
Btw I was able to purchase the fermented lemons and the olives on Amazon. But I am starting my own batch of fermented lemons at home.
Kris Longwell says
Hi Dawn!! Woo hoo!! We LOVE that you not only found the fermented lemons but that you are now MAKING YOUR OWN!!!! You are our kind of kitchen rock star!! And we LOVE that you daughter-in-law loved it so much, too!! WIN!! Thank you so much for letting us know!!! Please stay in touch!!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Jane says
This was very fun to make and turned out delicious. I was a little concerned about the preserved lemons. Once I seared them and set them aside, the recipe never followed up on when and where to use them! I just placed them on top of the chicken while it simmered. Did I miss something?
Kris Longwell says
Hi Jane! We understand about the preserved lemons. That’s ingredients we don’t cook with often, but they’re so yummy, right? And so so sorry about leaving when to put them back in the pan in the instructions. Your placing them on top at the end is 100% correct! Thanks for letting us know, we’ve updated the recipe! Best, Kris & Wesley
Martha Mejia says
What to do with the lemons at the end? I put them back on chicken to simmer
Emy says
Made this recipe saffron, preserved lemons, olives, chopped pistachios and all and man was it worth it! Absolutely delicious and I agree with Kris that the pistachios add a fun crunch / great texture to the dish! I served it over lightly minted couscous. Thanks for another great recipe y’all! 🙂
Kris Longwell says
Hi Emy!!! Sorry for the delayed response here!! We are so so so glad you enjoyed our tagine recipe! We love it so much, too! And thank you very much for letting us know and for the great review!!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Vera says
Hi Kris .. I am not having a problem with viewing your recipes or videos .
You said you put a link on your web page for the preserved lemon and bone in chicken broth where we could get it .. That is what I am looking for . Thank you Vera
Kris Longwell says
Hi Vera! The links are in the body of the post, but no worries, I’ll include them here. Let us know if you have any problems with them or if you have any other questions! Click here for the tagine. Click here for the preserved lemons.
Marie says
Hi Kris,
When you say green olives, are you referring to green spanish olives or just green olives?
Kris Longwell says
Hi Marie! Honestly, whatever is your favorite type of green pitted olive. Spanish olives are our favorite, but olives have been one of those ingredients that are still kind of hard to find at the markets, or at least the full variety. Let us know if you make the dish and what you think! Kris & Wesley
Vera says
Hi Chris,
I love your recipes . and I watch them all ,,
What I want to know is how do I get to your web site ?? I tried but I always come back to this .. so please help …
Kris Longwell says
Hi Vera! Thank you so much! We are so sorry you’re having problems viewing the recipe. If you click on our “How To Feed a Loon” logo at the top right of your computer, it will take you to our homepage. You can also click on “Recipes” to see a list of recipe categories, such as: TexMex, Desserts, or Thanksgiving. If you’re still having a problem finding anything, let us know and we’ll help to figure out what the problem is!! Thanks again, Vera!! Best, Kris & Wesley