| |

Chicken Tagine with Olives and Lemons

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more information, please visit my disclosure page.

Welcome back for the main course of this month’s Cooking with Astrology “Scorpio” meal. This Chicken Tagine with Olives and Lemons is hands down the most delicious chicken that I have ever had! It takes two hours to prepare, but it is so moist and so flavorful…..it is totally worth it!! When I was still debating between Ryan Gosling / Moroccan and Anthony Carrino / traditional Italian, Cassi stopped me mid sentence. You have to do Moroccan!!

Looking down on Chicken Tagine with Olives and Lemons served on a bed of french fries

She apparently had an incredibly delicious Lamb Tagine while she was in Belgium, and wanted to see if I could recreate it. Sure….. why not…..I didn’t try it, but that should be easy…..right?

The first problem with that scenario was that the dish she had was made with lamb. Remember the Lamb & Vegetable Kabobs for Leo? The comments were overwhelmingly negative towards Lamb…..most people do not like it. So…chicken it is!

Chicken Tagine with Olives and Lemons by cookingwithcurls.com

I had her write down everything that she liked about the meal that she had, and then I started pulling out recipes. All of the ideas got mixed together and the results were amazing!

hey girls chicken tagine cookingwithcurls.com

How to make Chicken Tagine with Olives and Lemons:

In a large Dutch oven, mix together all ingredients except the olives, lemon, and half of the saffron. Cover and cook the chicken over medium heat, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes, until the chicken is tender and almost ready to fall of the bones. Approximately 1 hour. Do not allow the chicken to scorch, adjust the heat accordingly.

Chicken, onions, cilantro, parsley and spices in a Dutch oven on the stove.

Transfer cooked chicken to a plate and cover.

Cooked chicken pieces piled on a white plate

Continue to cook the remaining onion mixture and sauce over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the liquid evaporate and the onions for a mass that separates from the oils.

Remaining herbs and spices cooking down in a Dutch oven

Add the lemon, olives, remaining saffron, and a few tablespoons of water. Simmer gently for 5 to 10 minutes.

Lemon wedges and olives added to the sauce in the Dutch oven

Return chicken to the pot and heat through.

Cooked chicken added back into the sauce in the Dutch oven

Place chicken on a serving platter, and pour the sauce over the top. Serve with French Fries or Couscous.

During my research, French Fries seemed to be a common side dish to serve with Tagine. I love French Fries, so I thought what the heck! The sauce on the fries was indeed quite delicious. Feel free to substitute Couscous if you desire a healthier meal. 🙂  Choose whatever will make your Scorpio date happiest! This meal is for them remember?

Did you know that Ginger is a documented aphrodisiac in the section on rituals in the Kama Sutra? I did not. The health benefits of Ginger may also be better for men than Viagra!

Notes:

  • Try not to add any water as the chicken is cooking. The chicken will baste in it’s own juices.
  • This dish is traditionally made with a preserved lemon. I substituted a fresh lemon.
  • You can also make this dish in a Traditional Tagine according to manufactures instructions.

More delicious Moroccan recipes in this meal:

Enjoy!!

Looking down on Chicken Tagine with Olives and Lemons served on a bed of french fries

Chicken Tagine with Olives and Lemons

5 from 1 vote
Print Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Moroccan
Keyword: chicken, lemon, olives, cilantro, tagine, recipe
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Servings: 4 Servings
Calories: 273kcal
Author: Lisa Johnson

Ingredients

  • 1 whole chicken cut into pieces (or 4 thighs and 2 breasts)
  • cup olive oil
  • 1 pound yellow onions sliced paper thin, two very large onions
  • 1 small handful fresh cilantro chopped
  • 1 small handful fresh Italian parsley chopped
  • 6 cloves fresh garlic pressed or finely minced
  • 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon saffron threads divided (crumbled)
  • 1 cup green and red Greek olives
  • 1 large lemon quartered and seeds removed

Instructions

  • In a large Dutch oven, mix together all ingredients except the olives, lemon, and half of the saffron. Cover and cook the chicken over medium heat, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes, until the chicken is tender and almost ready to fall of the bones. Approximately 1 hour. Do not allow the chicken to scorch, adjust the heat accordingly.
  • Transfer cooked chicken to a plate and cover.
  • Continue to cook the remaining onion mixture and sauce over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the liquid evaporate and the onions for a mass that separates from the oils.
  • Add the lemon, olives, remaining saffron, and a few tablespoons of water. Simmer gently for 5 to 10 minutes.
  • Return chicken to the pot and heat through.
  • Place chicken on a serving platter, and pour the sauce over the top. Serve with French Fries or Couscous.

Notes

  • Try not to add any water as the chicken is cooking. The chicken will baste in it's own juices.
  • This dish is traditionally made with a preserved lemon. I substituted a fresh lemon.
  • This dish can also be made in a Traditional Tagine according to manufactures instructions.

Nutrition

Calories: 273kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 824mg | Potassium: 248mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 284IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 1mg

 

Similar Posts

12 Comments

  1. You are seriously killing me with the Ryan gosling stuff, Lisa! This dish is killing me too — it looks so great with those salty olives, saffron, etc. your photos are really stunning as well (I mean the food, not just Ryan).

  2. Why yes.. my craft table IS sturdy…
    Oh wait. I got sidetracked by Ryan. 😉 This looks amazing as always, Lisa. Sadly I do not like lamb either so I am vey excited to see it with chicken {even though I am not a Scorpio}. haha
    Pinning this and now… back to Ryan.

  3. OH see I love lamb, but guess it does have a strong flavor. I’ve never tried a tangine, must remedy that! This looks wonderful Lisa, Ryan does too!

  4. omg Lisa this post is hilarious. I love it. I am in the lamb-lovers club (Greek roots. Lamb is a yes!) but I can actually never find it here! So I really dig the chicken option. Thank you for sharing this at Saturday Night Fever! I’m hungry!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating