Chicken and preserved lemon tagine
- Published: 30 Jun 08
- Updated: 8 Oct 24
This is one of the best known and loved tagines. Accompany with houmous, flatbread and a few mezze dishes to make it an affordable dinner party or Sunday lunch spread.
Looking for something else? How about our chicken tagine with almonds and apricots?
Ingredients
- Pinch of saffron
- 600ml chicken stock, hot
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1.7kg organic chicken, jointed or 1.5kg chicken pieces (leg, thigh and breast)
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp coriander seeds, lightly crushed
- 1 cinnamon stick, snapped in half
- 5 small preserved lemons, quartered (we used Belazu)
- 200g green olives
- Small handful fresh flatleaf parsley or coriander, chopped
Method
- Soak the saffron in a jug containing the hot stock for a few minutes. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large deep-sided frying pan or casserole over a high heat and brown the chicken pieces for 2-3 minutes. You may need to do this in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan and steam the chicken. Remove the chicken to a plate and add the onion to the pan. Reduce the heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and spices to the pan and cook, stirring, for a further minute. If you’re using a tagine, transfer the onion to the base and add the saffron-infused stock and the browned chicken pieces (if using a casserole, leave the onion in the pan, then add the chicken and stock). Bring to the boil and simmer over a gentle heat, covered, for 40-50 minutes, until the chicken is tender.
- Add the lemons and olives and simmer for a further 15 minutes. Season to taste, scatter with the fresh herbs and serve with couscous.
- Recipe from July 2008 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 344kcals
- Fat
- 19.4g (4.4g saturated)
- Protein
- 36.9g
- Carbohydrates
- 4.4g (2.8g sugar)
- Salt
- 1.7g
delicious. tips
You can easily cook the tagine in a large casserole in the oven if you prefer. Preheat to 150°C/fan130°C/gas 2 and cook, covered, for 1 hour. Add the lemon and olives and return to the oven for a further 15 minutes before scattering with parsley and coriander.
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I love this recipe because it’s so simple but so delicious. It’s saved my bacon at so many dinner parties and I always lie and say it’s my own creation.