Moroccan chicken tagine with preserved lemon
Preserved lemon and cracked green olives are two of the principal ingredients of traditional Moroccan cooking. You can buy the olives in Middle Eastern and North African stores and some delicatessens. The tagine can be made with chicken joints or a whole chicken. Serve with Plain, Buttery couscous and a leafy salad or steamed carrots tossed with fresh mint.
INGREDIENTS
- 8–10 chicken thighs or 4 whole legs
- 2 tablespoons ghee or 1 tablespoon olive oil plus a knob of butter
- 2 preserved lemons, cut into strips
- 175 g cracked green olives
- 1–2 teaspoons dried thyme or oregano
- Plain, Buttery Couscous, to serve
For the marinade:
- 1 onion, grated
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 25 g fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- leaves from a small bunch of fresh coriander, finely chopped
- a pinch of saffron threads
- freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 3–4 tablespoons olive oil
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Serves 4
METHOD
- First, make the marinade. Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl. Put the chicken thighs or legs in a shallow dish and coat them in the marinade, rubbing it into the skin. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1– 2 hours.
- Heat the olive oil with the butter in a tagine or heavy-based casserole. Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and brown them in the oil. Pour over the marinade that is left in the dish and add enough water to come halfway up the sides of the chicken pieces. Bring the water to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes, turning the chicken from time to time.
- Add the preserved lemon, olives and half the thyme to the tagine. Cover and simmer for a further 15–20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and sprinkle the remaining thyme over the top. Serve with Plain, Buttery Couscous and steamed carrots tossed with fresh mint, if liked.