Chicken, Olive and Lemon Tangine

This is another find from the Weekly Times, a paper I love, and also another wonderful recipe from Jeremy Vincent. I am noting some of Jeremy's suggestions and Tips as written-- If you haven't got a tagine, a saucepan or lidded casserole will suffice. The recipe method below utilises a saucepan or casserole for the cooking. If you are using a tagine, prepare the chicken to the browned stage in the saucepan, remove it from the saucepan and cook the onion and spice as below. Instead of returning the ingredients back to the saucepan with the stock, arrange (optional) sliced potato on the base of your tagine, then the chicken around the centre on top of the potato slices. Pour the onion and spiced stock over the chicken, scatter with the olives and dot with the butter and pieces of lemon before topping with the tagine lid and baking. Save the coriander and parsley for scattering on top when the dish is cooked. TIPS WITH A TAGINE The tagine doubles as both a cooking vessel and serving dish which holds the food warm. Since you won't be stirring during the cooking, take care how you arrange or layer ingredients for a beautiful table presentation. Oil is essential to tagine cooking; don't be overly cautious in using it or you'll end up with watery sauce or possibly scorched ingredients. In most recipes for 4 to 6 people, you'll need between a 1/4 to a 1/3 cup of oil (sometimes part butter), which will mix with cooking liquids to make ample sauce for scooping up with bread. Choose olive oil for the best flavour. Try not to interrupt the cooking by frequently lifting the lid to check on the food; that's best left for adding ingredients or to check on the level of liquids toward the end of cooking.

• Ready In: 1 hr 50 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 3  tablespoons olive oil
• 6  chicken legs
• 2  large onions, sliced
• 2  tablespoons ground coriander
• 2  teaspoons white pepper
• 2  teaspoons ground ginger
• 1  teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1⁄2 teaspoon saffron thread, crushed
• 1 1⁄2 cups  chicken stock
• 2  medium potatoes, sliced horizontally (optional, see tagine method above)
• 170  g green olives, pitted & halved
• 2  tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1  tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
• 2  teaspoons  coriander, finely chopped
• 2  preserved lemons, cut into slices
•  salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. See notes in Recipe Description above.
2. Heat the oven to 180°C Heat the oil in a large lidded casserole or saucepan oven over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper; add to the saucepan and cook, turning, until browned, 12 to 15 minutes.
3. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Add the onions to the saucepan; cook until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the spices; cook for 2 minutes. Return the chicken to the saucepan with the stock and bring the liquid to a boil. Transfer the saucepan or casserole to the oven, and bake the chicken, covered, until tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Stir in the olives, butter, parsley, coriander and lemons into the saucepan, and cook for 6 minutes. Serve with rice or flatbread.