This weeknight chicken tagine is all about bold flavors! Warmly spiced chicken is simmered with preserved lemons, olives, and sweet dried apricots for a deeply flavorful dish that fills your kitchen with the most incredible aroma.
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About This Recipe
This weeknight chicken tagine is one of those recipes that instantly upgrades your chicken game! It’s packed with bold Moroccan-inspired flavors, yet it’s absolutely doable on a weeknight.
Instead of using a traditional tagine pot, the deeply spiced chicken is seared in a cast-iron skillet until the skin is beautifully golden and flavorful, then gently simmered with onions, carrots, preserved lemons, olives, and dried apricots. The result is incredibly tender, aromatic chicken with layers of warm, savory, citrusy flavor in every bite.
The spice blend features turmeric, coriander, paprika, and cinnamon, creating that signature North African flavor profile. Preserved lemons add a floral, salty brightness that perfumes the entire dish as it cooks.
Serve it with lemon couscous, rice pilaf, or warm pita bread to soak up every bit of that incredible sauce.
Spices and Ingredients
- Chicken: I prefer bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs here. The skin renders and browns beautifully and the rendered chicken fat is used to sauté the vegetables, adding even more flavor.
- Spices: Cinnamon, turmeric, coriander and paprika create a balanced, aromatic base that’s savory and earthy with just a hint of sweetness.
- Saffron: A pinch of saffron steeped in warm water adds a golden hue and subtle aroma. I like to lightly grind the threads before steeping for maximum flavor.
- Preserved Lemons: Preserved lemons are floral, salty, and citrusy, and they give the tagine an unmistakable aroma. Homemade preserved lemons tend to be less salty than store-bought, so always taste before using (more on this below).
- Olives: Castelveltrano olives are mild and buttery. Other green olives work too for a punchier bite.
- Dried Apricots: Or other dried fruit that has a bit of tartness.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
🍋What are Preserved Lemons?
Preserved lemons are whole lemons cured in salt, commonly used in North African and Mediterranean cooking. Over time, the rind becomes soft, fragrant, and deeply flavorful.
They taste exactly how you’d imagine: salty, lemony, citrusy, and aromatic.
A few important tips:
- Not all preserved lemons taste the same. Some are saltier than others, so always taste before using
- Many recipes suggest using only the peel, since it’s less salty than the flesh
- I often use both, especially with homemade preserved lemons, just be sure to remove the seeds
For this chicken tagine recipe, I like using some of the flesh in the marinade and using thin slices of peel for garnish. Preserved lemons add incredible depth and are one of my favorite ways to bring bold citrus flavor to savory dishes.
If you want to try making your own, I have a full tutorial on homemade preserved lemons. You can often find them in the international section of most grocery stores or the olive bar, if your store has one.
Substitutions and Variations
- Chicken Options: Instead of bone-in thighs, use boneless chicken thighs, which will cook slightly faster but will still stay incredibly tender. Chicken breasts are another option, just be sure to add ½ cup more braising liquid and cook longer.
- No Preserved Lemons? Substitute with the zest of one whole lemon and add it to the chicken marinade and add the lemon juice to the braising liquid.
- No Saffron? Totally fine to omit. The turmeric still provides great color and flavor.
- Dried Fruit Swaps: Instead of apricots, substitute with roughly torn dates or dried figs. Both pair beautifully with olives and spices.
⏲️ Instructions
Marinate the Chicken: In a bowl, whisk together garlic, olive oil, saffron, spices, and chopped preserved lemon. Add chicken and coat well.
Sear the Chicken: Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Drizzle with olive oil and sear chicken skin-side down until deeply golden, about 5–7 minutes. Flip and cook another 4–5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Sauté the Vegetables: In the same skillet, sauté onions and carrots for about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant.
Build the Braising Liquid: Add chicken stock and preserved lemon juice to the same marinade bowl and whisk to collect leftover spices.
Simmer: Nestle chicken back into the pan, skin-side up. Pour in the braising liquid and continue cooking for another 18–20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
Finish: During the last 5–10 minutes, scatter olives, apricots, and preserved lemon slices around the chicken. Garnish with parsley and serve.
📍 Recipe Tips
- Dry the Chicken Well: Pat the chicken completely dry before marinating. This helps the spices adhere and allows the skin to brown properly.
- Marinating Time: If you have time, marinate for 20 minutes to up to 8 hours. Even a short rest adds depth, but the dish is still excellent if you cook it right away.
- Use the Marinade Bowl: After marinating, don’t wash the bowl. Use it to mix the braising liquid so you capture every bit of flavor left behind from the spices.
- Don’t Overcrowd the Pan: Sear the chicken without moving it until it releases easily and the skin is properly browned.
Serving Suggestions
- Lemon Herb Couscous
- Honey Harissa Cauliflower
- Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad
- Yellow Mediterranean Rice with Turmeric
More Flavorful Chicken Recipes to Try
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons and Olives
LittleFerraroKitchen.com
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 2 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- 2 garlic cloves grated or finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon liquid saffron or a pinch of saffron threads steeped in warm water
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- Ground black pepper
- 1 preserved lemon seeds removed and finely chopped
Braising Liquid
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons preserved lemon juice
Tagine
- Olive oil for searing
- 1 small red onion sliced thin
- 2 carrots sliced
- 2 garlic cloves grated or finely chopped
- 1 cup pitted Castelvetrano olives
- ½ cup dried apricots roughly chopped
- 1 preserved lemon rind only, thinly sliced (garnish)
Instructions
- Marinate the Chicken: Pat the chicken dry and set aside. In a bowl, whisk together garlic, olive oil, saffron, spices, and chopped preserved lemon. Add chicken and coat well.
- Sear the Chicken: Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil and sear chicken skin-side down until deeply golden, about 5–7 minutes. Flip and cook another 4–5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Build the Braising Liquid: Add chicken stock and preserved lemon juice to the same marinade bowl and whisk to collect leftover spices.
- Sauté the Vegetables: In the same skillet, sauté onions and carrots until just softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Simmer: Nestle chicken back into the pan, skin-side up. Pour in the braising liquid and bring to a gentle simmer. Continue cooking for another 18–20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
- Finish: During the last 5–10 minutes, scatter olives, apricots, and preserved lemon slices around the chicken. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Video
Notes
- Dry the Chicken Well: Pat the chicken completely dry before marinating. This helps the spices adhere and allows the skin to brown properly.
- Marinating Time: If you have time, marinate for at least 20 minutes or up to 8 hours. Even a short rest adds depth, but the dish is still excellent if cooked right away.
- Taste the Preserved Lemons: Preserved lemons can vary in saltiness. Taste them before using and adjust the amount as needed, especially if using store-bought.
- Use the Marinade Bowl: After marinating, use the same bowl to mix the braising liquid so none of the flavorful spices go to waste.
- Don’t Overcrowd the Pan: Let the chicken sear undisturbed until it releases easily from the pan — that’s how you get deeply golden, flavorful skin.
JC says
Are those potatoes in the sautéed vegetables??? Because potatoes aren’t mentioned as an ingredient anywhere. It only says carrots and onions then garlic.
Samantha Ferraro says
Hi JC, Those are Yellow Carrots. Thanks for the question. Have a great week, Samantha.
Elisavet says
I tried this recipe and it turned out disgusting. The combination of the ingredients created a bad smell in the kitchen and an even worst taste. What a waste of ingredients time and effort!
Very bad.👎😐
Samantha Ferraro says
I wish we were in your kitchen to see what went wrong. We have done this recipe many times and it came out Perrrrrrfect. Have a great New Year, Samantha.
Pam Arbogast says
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.
Samantha Ferraro says
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.