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Home » Recipes » Chicken Recipes

Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons and Olives

Published: Jan 2, 2021 · Modified: Feb 4, 2023 by Samantha Ferraro · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

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A flavorful weeknight chicken tagine recipe made in nearly 30 minutes. With just a handful of bold spices, salty preserved lemons and buttery olives.

A flavorful weeknight chicken tagine recipe made in nearly 30 minutes. With just a handful of bold spices, salty preserved lemons and buttery olives.

Weeknight Chicken Tagine

There is nothing I love more then a simple roast chicken but we are always finding ways to make the flavors pop. For another wonderful Chicken meal, try my One Pot Chicken Provencal or my Chicken Francese.

Chicken tagine has some serious bold flavors and you don't need a traditional tagine pot to create something fantastic. I took inspiration from Moroccan flavors of turmeric and cinnamon and made a colorful spice rub for the chicken. For another wonderful mediterranean recipe try my Turkish Stuffed Onions.

Once seared, the spiced chicken is settled on top of sliced onions and carrots and simmered with preserved lemons, olives and apricots.

For another One-Pot Chicken meal try my Spanish Chicken Stew.

Weeknight Chicken Tagine Recipe with Preserved Lemons, Olives and Dried Apricots

Spices and Ingredients

Spices: cinnamon, turmeric, coriander, paprika

Preserved Lemons: Homemade preserved lemons are used in this recipe which may be less salty than store bought. Either way, taste a piece to know how salty your lemons are.

Olives: Buttery castelveltrano olives are used in this recipe for their mildness, though other olive options would be green manzanilla olives and/or kalamata olives.

Dried Apricots: Or other dried fruit that has a bit of tartness.

Weeknight Chicken Tagine Recipe with Preserved Lemons, Olives and Dried Apricots

Side Dishes to go with Chicken Tagine

Lemon Herb Couscous

Honey Harissa Cauliflower

Lemon Rice Pilaf with Dill and Pistachios

Homemade Pita Bread

Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

Yellow Mediterranean Rice with Turmeric

A flavorful weeknight chicken tagine recipe made in nearly 30 minutes. With just a handful of bold spices, salty preserved lemons and buttery olives.

Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons and Olives

Samantha Ferraro

LittleFerraroKitchen.com

A flavorful weeknight chicken tagine recipe made in nearly 30 minutes. With just a handful of bold spices, salty preserved lemons and buttery olives.
5 from 8 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 25 minutes mins
Total Time 35 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mediterranean, Moroccan
Servings 4 servings
Calories 733 kcal

Equipment

  • Cast Iron Skillet

Ingredients
 
 

  • 2 pounds chicken thighs bone in and skin on

Chicken Marinade

  • 2-3 garlic cloves grated
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon liquid saffron or pinch of saffron threads
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon coriander
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 preserved lemon seeds removed and chopped finely
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1-2 tablespoons preserved lemon juice

Tagine

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil for drizzling
  • 1 small red onion sliced thin
  • 2 carrots sliced thin
  • 1-2 garlic cloves chopped finely
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 cup whole castelveltrano olives
  • ½ cup dried apricots roughly chopped
  • 1 preserved lemon sliced thin for garnish
  • Parsley chopped for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels and set aside.
  • In medium sized bowl, add the grated garlic, olive oil, saffron, spices and chopped preserved lemon and whisk to combine. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and rub the marinade all over the chicken and set aside.
  • Heat a medium sized cast iron skillet on medium heat and drizzle with olive oil. Place chicken thighs, skin side down into the skillet and brown until chicken skin is deep golden, about 5-7 minutes. Then turn chicken over and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
  • While chicken is cooking, add 1 cup of water and preserved lemon juice to the same bowl you used to marinate the chicken, and give it a quick whisk to pick up any leftover marinade and set aside.
  • Once chicken is done cooking on both sides, remove from skillet and set aside on a plate.
  • In the same skillet, add sliced onions and carrots and sauté until onions are just softened, about 2-3 minutes.
  • Add the garlic and turmeric and sauté for another 1-2 minutes.
  • Nestle chicken on top of vegetables, skin side up and pour chicken stock and preserved lemon juice mixture into the skillet and bring chicken up to a simmer and cook until chicken is cooked through, for another 15-20 minutes.
  • Towards the last 5-10 minutes of cooking, scatter the olives, chopped apricots and sliced preserved lemon. Once done, garnish tagine with fresh chopped parsley and serve.

Video

Notes

This recipe uses both the pump and peel of the preserved lemon, however if your lemons are store bought, which are usually saltier, you may want to use half the amount

Nutrition

Calories: 733kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 40gFat: 54gSaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 224mgSodium: 811mgPotassium: 893mgFiber: 4gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 6237IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 64mgIron: 3mg
Did you make this recipe?Let us know by leaving a comment and 5 star rating!

More Flavorful Weeknight Chicken Recipes

  • Vietnamese rice noodle salad with grilled lemongrass chicken.
    Rice Noodle Salad with Grilled Chicken
  • Citrus adobo tacos with guacamole and lime.
    Citrus Adobo Chicken Tacos
  • Chicken saltimbocca with sage, Parmesan and white wine sauce.
    Chicken Saltimbocca with Prosciutto and Parmesan
  • Lemongrass chicken coconut curry with vegetables.
    Lemongrass Chicken Coconut Curry

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Comments

  1. Pam Arbogast says

    April 04, 2023 at 6:40 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious! I subbed dried cherries for the apricots, and added some grilled artichokes. Served over rice with a sprinkle of pistachios on top. We're not olive lovers so I just let those who wanted them put them on after cooking.

    Reply
    • Samantha Ferraro says

      April 04, 2023 at 6:45 pm

      Hi Pam, WOW, Grilled artichokes and cherries. Great, (I just wish I thought of that). Then to "Top it off" you did a Build your own rice thing, olives or no olives. Well Done. You are an Inspiration Pam. Thank you, Samantha.

      Reply
5 from 8 votes (7 ratings without comment)

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