Delicious Chicken, Preserved Lemon, and Green Olive Tagine

I love to make different kinds of ethnic foods, and when I saw that Trader Joe's had jars of preserved lemons from North Africa on their shelves, I knew I had to make a Moroccan dish for dinner. Morocco food is full of spices but not "spicy", and combines North African and Middle Eastern flavors with influences from nearby France and Spain.

I settled on a traditional tagine of chicken, preserved lemon, and green olives. Rich with spices like cumin, saffron, and cinnamon, this stew-like dish is named after the earthenware vessel in which it's usually cooked. We don't own one, so I used a cast iron Dutch oven which works just fine for the recipe. There are a lot of ingredients in this recipe, although a lot of them are the the spices, which you can combine together in a small bowl and then just add at once, so don't be intimidated.

Serve this tagine with plenty of couscous or flatbread so soak up the delicious sauce. It keeps and reheats well, too. The kids really liked this and cleaned their plates (although my daughter declared that the couscous was the best part).

Ingredients

• 1 chicken, cut into eight pieces, or four whole bone-in, skin-on, chicken legs (thigh and drumstick)
• 2 medium red onions, sliced
• 5 cloves garlic, coarsley chopped
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 3-inch cinnamon stick or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger, or 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads (optional)
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup preserved lemon slices, chopped
• 1/2 cup green olives
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons clarified butter or unsalted butter
• Kosher salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

Directions

Combine chicken pieces, garlic, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a mixing bowl, along with a little salt and pepper. Set aside and let marinade while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

To prepare preserved lemons, remove pulp and use only the peel; if they're really salty, rinse briefly in cold water. (The lemons from Trader Joe's were not overly salty so I didn't have to do this.) Place saffron threads, if using, in a small bowl and pour in enough warm water to cover. Let sit for a while so it extracts the color from the threads.

Heat remaining olive oil in a Dutch oven (or tagine if you have one) over medium-high heat. When hot, add chicken and brown, working in batches so you don't crowd the pan. You might have to add a little more olive oil as you go. When pieces are lightly browned all over, remove from the pot and set aside.

Add onions to pot and saute until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Return chicken to pot and add spices, preserved lemons, saffron with its soaking liquid, and chicken broth. Stir to combine and bring to a boil, then turn down heat to low, partially cover the pot and let simmer for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, add olives and butter and stir to combine. Taste the sauce and season with salt if necessary. Cover and let cook another 10 minutes until olives are warmed through. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro and parsley.