Chicken, Preserved Lemon and Olives Tagine – Chicken Mkalli
A flavorful Moroccan tagine featuring chicken, preserved lemons, and olives, perfect for a comforting meal.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 2tbspolive oil
- 800gonions, chopped
- 1200gwhole chicken, cut into pieces or chicken legs and thighs
- 1tbspfinely chopped garlic
- 1tspground turmeric
- 1tspground ginger
- 1tspsalt
- 1/4tspground black pepper
- 1pinchsaffron
- 1bundlecoriander bouquet
- 2medium preserved lemons
- 150gred-brown olives, like Kalamatas
How to make Chicken, Preserved Lemon and Olives Tagine – Chicken Mkalli
Cooking the Chicken
In a large casserole, heat the olive oil and add the onions over medium heat. Cover with a lid and leave the onions until they are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
Once the onions are sweated, place the chicken, garlic, spices, salt, and pepper in the casserole. Turn the chicken occasionally to lightly brown it, about 10-15 minutes.
Pour a cup of water into the casserole and place the coriander bouquet on top of the chicken. Bring to a boil, then cover with a lid and reduce to medium-low heat. Cook until the chicken is done, about 50 minutes.
Finishing Touches
Meanwhile, remove the flesh from the preserved lemon and finely chop the lemon, discarding the flesh.
Once the chicken is cooked, remove it along with the coriander bouquet from the casserole. Set the chicken aside to cool and discard the coriander bouquet.
Reduce the sauce over medium heat for about 20 minutes or until most of the liquids have evaporated. Stir occasionally to prevent the onions from sticking to the bottom of the pan. There should be some liquid left in the sauce after 20 minutes.
Add the chopped preserved lemon and olives to the onions, stir to combine, and leave over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
To serve, place the chicken back in the casserole to warm it up over medium heat. Serve hot and enjoy with a side of rice, couscous, or bread.
Tips & Tricks
Some people cook the flesh of the preserved lemon along with the onions at the beginning of the recipe. This is a good way to recycle the flesh, but it may make the tagine more acidic.
If you’ve used a whole chicken and have chicken liver left, add it to the sauce after removing the cooked chicken. Once the liver is cooked, mash it in the casserole and stir to mix with the sauce for added flavor.
Don’t forget to transfer the cooked chicken to the fridge once it has cooled down.
The cooking time is adapted for regular pans or casseroles.
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