Chicken Tagine

Chicken Tagine

with preserved lemon and olives, 1 hr 30 min, Dutch oven, serves 4

Ingredients

Chicken
chicken thighs     8
olive oil          for browning
salt and pepper    to season

Base
onion              2
garlic             4 cloves
ginger             1 inch
ground cumin       2 tsp
paprika            1 tsp
ground cinnamon    1/2 tsp
ground turmeric    1 tsp
saffron            pinch, optional
chicken stock      300ml

To finish
preserved lemon    1
green olives       100g
fresh coriander    handful

Bone-in thighs give the most flavour, skin on or off. No tagine needed, the Dutch oven does the same job.
The preserved lemon goes in near the end so it perfumes the sauce without falling apart. It is salty, so go easy on added salt.
A teaspoon of ras el hanout can stand in for the individual spices.

Recipe

1. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Brown all over in olive oil in the Dutch oven, then set aside.

2. Soften the sliced onions and garlic in the same pot for 8 minutes. Add the grated ginger and all the spices and cook 1/2 minutes until fragrant.

3. Return the chicken. Add the stock and the saffron if using. Bring to a simmer, lid on, and cook low for 45 minutes until the chicken is tender.

4. Quarter the preserved lemon, scrape out the pulp and slice the rind. Add it with the olives. Lid off, and cook a further 15 minutes to reduce the sauce and let the lemon infuse.

5. Finish with torn coriander. Serve with couscous or rice.