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    June 18, 2018

    Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons

    One of the most delicious Moroccan dishes is Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons. It's wonderful because the tagine cooking technique yields a tender and flavorful chicken, while the preserved lemons add a tangy touch to the dish. To cook with a tagine you place all of the ingredients inside the tagine at the same time, cover and cook slowly and gently as you would a ragout. What you end up with is an amazingly fragrant dish.

    Preserved Lemons are great for making chicken tagine

    According to Mary Ellen Snodgrass, in her Encyclopedia of Kitchen History, tagines can be traced back to an 8th century ruler of the Islamic empire, and they've been a staple of Maroccan cooking technique ever since. You can buy tagines glazed or unglazed; I have three and they're all glazed. My favorite tagine producer is Emile Henry, in Marcigny, Burgundy France since 1850.

    Tagines aren't just for Moroccan cookery Tagines are perfect to prepare any one pot, slow cookery dish. Tagines also make a beautiful presentation when brought to the table If you don't have one, I recommend purchasing one.

    Chicken tagine with preserved lemons is a beautifully aromatic dish and a perfect way to cook chicken

    To make a perfect tagine the first step is to prepare an aromatic base: sauté spices, garlic and onions in a little oil. Then add your main ingredient...usually chicken, lamb or fish...and toss it in the aromatic base until it's coated. The next step is usually to add honey and a soft or dried fruit like prunes, apricots or raisins which  help create a syrupy base for the tagine.

    Finally add all your other ingredients, usually different vegetables. The conical design of the tagine allows the steam generated during the cooking process  to rise to the top of the tagine and then drip back down onto the ingredients. This way the wonderful flavors become well amalgamated during the slow cooking process. The meat or fish cooks from the heat of the flame and the other ingredients are cooked by the steam. If you use a lot of vegetables in your dish they'll generate enough moisture during cooking. Otherwise add a glass of water or broth to the tagine just before you start cooking.

    Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons

    Serves 4-6

    There are a number of wonderful recipes for chicken tagine with preserved lemons, most of them delicious Moroccan tagines. This recipe uses those wonderful flavors, but is a simpler, easier to prepare version.

    Ingredients

    Chicken, one whole, cut into pieces and skinned
    Ginger, ½ teaspoon
    Cumin, ½ teaspoon
    Salt, ½ teaspoon
    Black pepper, freshly ground, ½ teaspoon
    Garlic, 4 cloves, minced
    Saffron, 1 thread
    Onions, 2 medium, thinly sliced
    Olive oil, 3 tablespoons
    Cinnamon stick
    Preserved lemons, 3 medium
    Olives, calamata or other similar, 10, pitted
    Vegetable broth, ½ liter (2 cups)
    Parsley, a small bunch, minced
    One lemon, sliced, for garnish


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    Cooking Instructions

    Remove all the pulp from the preserved lemons and discard.
    Slice the lemons into thin strips and set aside.

    Preserved Lemons In Jars are great for making chicken tagine

    Gently sauté the ginger, cumin, garlic, saffron and onion together in the olive oil over a low flame for about fifteen minutes until tender and slightly browned.

    Spices for chicken with preserved lemons

    Toss the chicken pieces in this aromatic base and sauté on all sides until just browned.

    Top with the olives, preserved lemons, salt, pepper and cinnamon stick.
    Pour the broth over the chicken.

    Cover and cook over a low flame until the chicken is cooked through and starting to separate from the bones (about 30 to 45 minutes). If the broth evaporates during cooking add a small amount of water to the pan.

    While the chicken is cooking mince the parsley and slice the lemon for garnish.
    Serve the chicken directly from the tagine; first top with minced parsley and sliced lemons.

    Chicken tagine with preserved lemons, a wonderful Maroccan dish!

    Please note that the below printable recipe can be viewed and printed in either metric or U.S. conventional measurements; just click on your preference within the recipe.

    Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons

    Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons

    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
    Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour hour
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
    There are a number of wonderful recipes for chicken with preserved lemons, most of them delicious Moroccan tagines. This recipe uses those aromatic flavors, but is a simpler, easier to prepare version.
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Maroccan
    Wendy
    Servings: 4
    Wendy

    Ingredients 

    • 1 whole Chicken cut into pieces and skinned
    • ½ teaspoon Ginger
    • ½ teaspoon Cumin
    • ½ teaspoon Salt
    • ½ teaspoon Black pepper freshly ground
    • 4 cloves Garlic minced
    • 1 thread Saffron
    • 2 medium Onions thinly sliced
    • 3 tablespoons Olive oil
    • 1 Cinnamon stick
    • 3 medium Preserved lemons
    • 10 pitted Olives calamata or other similar
    • 2 cups Vegetable broth ½ liter
    • 1 small bunch Parsley minced
    • 1 One lemon sliced, for garnish

    Instructions

    • Remove all the pulp from the preserved lemons and discard.
      Preserved Lemons In Jars are great for making chicken tagine
    • Slice the lemons into thin strips and set aside.
      Sliced preserved lemons
    • Gently sauté the ginger, cumin, garlic, saffron and onion together in the olive oil over a low flame for about fifteen minutes until tender and slightly browned.
      Spices for chicken with preserved lemons
    • Toss the chicken pieces in this aromatic base and sauté on all sides until just browned.
    • Top with the olives, preserved lemons, salt, pepper and cinnamon stick.
    • Pour the broth over the chicken.
    • Cover and cook over a low flame until the chicken is cooked through and starting to separate from the bones (about 30 to 45 minutes).
      Chicken tagine with preserved lemons, a wonderful Maroccan dish!
    • If the broth evaporates during cooking add a small amount of water to the pan.
    • While the chicken is cooking mince the parsley and slice the lemon for garnish.
    • Serve the chicken directly from the tagine; first top with minced parsley and sliced lemons.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 100g | Calories: 133kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 343mg | Potassium: 171mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1200IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    About

    Wendy at Roscioli
    I’m American and I’ve lived in Italy for nearly four decades with my Italian family. My passion and strength lies in sharing Italian stories, recipes and unique travel insights on my blog, my Flavor of Italy trips and tours, newsletter and podcast. Continue Reading...

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