Moroccan chicken tagine with olives and preserved lemon
Chicken tagine with olives and preserved lemon is one of the most famous Moroccan tagines of all.
The preserved lemon that Moroccan households ferment for months is the jewel of the dish and its signature. It leads the tables of Ramadan and hospitality in Morocco.
In a bowl, toss the chicken pieces with the grated onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, soaked saffron, half the cilantro and parsley, the olive oil, pepper and a little salt. The olives and preserved lemon are coming with their saltiness, so go easy. One hour minimum to marinate, and a night in the fridge is the Moroccan custom.
In a tagine over low heat or a heavy-bottomed pot, heat a spoonful of oil and arrange the chicken pieces with their marinade, and turn them for five minutes until their surface pales and the yellow spices release their warm aroma.
Add the water and cover with the tagine dome or the lid, and leave the heat low for fifty minutes, turning the pieces once. The tagine cooks with its steam circulating in its dome, and its sauce concentrates golden-yellow and clings to the chicken.
Rinse the preserved lemon of its excess salt, remove its pulp and cut its rind into slices, the rind is the jewel, not the pulp, and add it with the olives to the tagine, and let them marry with the sauce for a final quarter of an hour: a deep fermented acidity that fresh lemon can never give.
Taste and correct the salt carefully, scatter the rest of the cilantro and parsley, and bring the tagine with its dome to the table so the steam rises in front of those seated. With Moroccan bread or rice, and the sight of the steam is half the hospitality.
The glycemic index (GI) measures how quickly a food raises blood sugar, while the glycemic load (GL) measures how much a full serving raises it. Together they give the complete picture.
A low value (≤55) means a gradual rise in blood sugar — the most suitable range for diabetes and insulin resistance.
Glycemic load reflects the impact of the full serving. To lower it: take half a serving, or pair the recipe with a source of protein and fiber.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet per FDA food-label reference values — your daily needs may be higher or lower. Values are derived from the recipe's ingredients via the USDA database.
The most common problems when preparing Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Olives and Preserved Lemon, and how to fix them:
The lemon was not rinsed or we salted as usual. The preserved lemon and olives carry the dish's salt. Salt at the end by tasting, not before.
Strong heat or prolonged time. The tagine is the child of low heat. Fifty calm minutes, not half an hour of high heat.
Excess water or a lid dripping inward. Three hundred ml is enough, and uncover the lid for the last ten minutes until it concentrates golden.
The lemon pulp slipped in or very bitter olives. The pulp is always removed, and the olives are boiled for two minutes in separate water before going in if they are sharp.
In its tagine with its steam rising before the guests.
Three days and its taste deepens. Reheated gently in its tagine with a spoonful of water.
One month without the olives and lemon. They are added fresh when reheating so their flavor stays alive.
| Original Ingredient | Tested Substitute | Ratio | Flavor Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ready-made preserved lemon | Quick homemade preserved lemon (lemon with coarse salt for two weeks) | ~ | For anyone who did not find it ready-made, and patience for a month is deeper |
| Whole chicken | Chicken thighs only | 1 kg | The juiciest tagine pieces and the hardest to dry out |
| Green olives | Moroccan purple olives | 1:1 | The most original Moroccan source if available |
| Bread alongside it | White rice or steamed couscous | ~ | All starchy bases suit its sauce |
| Ingredient | 4 servings | 2 servings | 8 servings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 1.2 kg | 600 g | 2.4 kg |
| Olives | 120 g | 60 g | 240 g |
| Preserved lemon | 1 piece | 1/2 piece | 2 pieces |
Remove the pulp of the preserved lemon and use only its rind. The pulp is very salty and bitter, and the fermented rind is the carrier of all the aroma. And rinse it beforehand, for its saltiness is enough for the tagine and more.
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