Chicken Tajine with Olives and Preserved Lemons

evelyn/athens's Note:

Moroccan cuisine is superb. This is a wonderful dish that is sure to convert you if you've never tried it.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 50 mins
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 25 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 (3 lb) chicken , each cut into 6 pieces
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 2 small onions , finely grated
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger or ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• 3 inches cinnamon sticks or ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon saffron thread , crumbled
• 2 medium tomatoes, peeled,seeded and coarsely chopped or 1 ½ cups drained, canned tomatoes
• 6 cloves garlic , finely chopped
• 1 cup flat leaf parsley , finely chopped
• 1 cup cilantro , finely chopped
• 3 preserved lemons
• ½ lb kalamata olive

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan.
2. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and add them to the pan along with the onions, ginger, cinnamon and saffron.
3. Cook over high heat, turning the chicken occasionally, until browned all over, about 10 minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes, garlic, parsley, cilantro and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is tender, about 1 hour.
6. Meanwhile, rinse the preserved lemons under running water; pat dry.
7. Cut the lemons into quarters.
8. Discard the pulp from one of the lemons and finely chop the peel.
9. Reserve the quarters for garnish.
10. Transfer the chicken to a large plate.
11. Strain the cooking liquid and return it to the casserole.
12. Boil over high heat until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
13. Add the chopped preserved lemons and the olives and simmer over moderate heat for 2 minutes.
14. Add the chicken pieces and simmer until heated through.
15. Arrange the chicken pieces on a serving dish.
16. Pour the sauce on top and garnish with the lemon quarters.

Reviews

[Chef #1248652]

Amazing flavor! Absolutely worth the time and preparation. Some points are a little unclear though. I chose to use thigh fillets and served it on a bed of Cous Cous. Fantastic!!

[Umm Ishaq]

This tajine is delicious. I followed the recipe exactly except that I did not include the preserved lemons ( as I didn't have any) instead I just used some fresh lemon zest. A really great way to serve chicken. Thank you for posting.

[Chef Kate]

Truly a wonderful dish. I used about 2 pounds of skinless boneless chicken breast. Otherwise I followed the recipe, although I did use the finely chopped peel from two preserved lemons and did not strain the sauce. I was doubtful about the whole cup of cilantro, but trusting Evelyn, did as instructed. The resulting sauce is not predominately cilantro or lemon--but rather a quite wonderful fresh, bright sauce, very aromatic. The chicken remained moist and tender. This was wonderful the first night with rice, and even better, warmed up and served another night with couscous. Thanks again, Evelyn.