Chicken Tajine with Olives and Preserved Lemons

"Moroccan cuisine is superb. This is a wonderful dish that is sure to convert you if you've never tried it."
 
Download
photo by mersaydees photo by mersaydees
photo by mersaydees
Ready In:
1hr 50mins
Ingredients:
14
Serves:
6
Advertisement

ingredients

Advertisement

directions

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

Questions & Replies

Got a question? Share it with the community!
Advertisement

Reviews

  1. This is delicious! Made as directed using recipe #295914 for the preserved lemons. Thanks, evelyn/athens! Made for ZWT9, team Gourmet Goddesses.
     
  2. 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!!
     
  3. 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.
     
  4. 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.
     
Advertisement

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

<style>body { background: url("http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3639/3512121819_f2f1aaf050.jpg?v=0"); background-repeat: repeat-y; }</style> OK, here goes. I live in Athens, Greece. I moved out here many, many years ago from Ottawa, Canada - so I am blessed in having two wonderful heritages! I suffer from compulsive obsessive behaviour with regard to food and my psychiatrist thought it would be a good idea to find a 'society' where many have the same problem and try to find a cure. So far, I've copied a couple of thousand recipes from this site and my psychiatrist has thrown the towel in and refuses to answer the phone when I call. What did I do wrong? Got 3 kids that keep me on the go - 10 and under at this point (2008) - I may not get round to updating this for a few years, so you'll have to do your own maths. I teach English full-time and Greek Cookery part-time. I would like to make the cooking part of it full-time and the English Grammar part of it part-time. That's all for now.
 
View Full Profile
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Find More Recipes