Chermoula chicken tagine with preserved lemons and green olives

PREP TIME

10 minutes

COOK TIME

45 minutes

SERVES

4-6 people

Ingredients

2 tbsp The Spice People’s North African Chermoula spice mix
1 kg chicken drumsticks or thigh fillets
1 onion, sliced thinly
1 large tomato, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 – 1 cup chicken stock or water
75g whole green olives, pitted
1/2 cup each of roughly chopped fresh parsley and coriander leaves
1 tbsp olive oil
3 pieces preserved lemon rind, chopped or 1 whole fresh lemon, sliced

The love this recipe

Memories of Marrakesh come flooding back when I cook this dish. In June 2016 my partner and I spent a few days wandering through the souk markets of Marrakesh and dining in the local cafes.

The most common dish was the chicken tagine with preserved lemon and olives. I’m pretty sure we tried at least 5 different versions of this famous dish, the best by far was the recipe we learned when we spent the day at faimd’epices a wonderful cooking school just outside Marrakesh run by a lovely couple. During the day we learned about the spices that Moroccans love to use and how they influence the dishes. Of course, the best part is the feast at the end of our class.

This recipe is inspired by our day at faimd’epices. We have created this iconic Moroccan dish using our North African Chermoula spice mix.

Directions

Heat oil in a saucepan and add the sliced onion and crushed garlic, sauté 5 min or until the onion is translucent. Add the Nth African Chermoula spice, together with the preserved lemon and coriander, and parsley leaves. mix well and sauté a further 2 min.

Add the chicken pieces, and coat well with the mixture. Add a splash of water if necessary to prevent sticking. Gently brown the chicken pieces.
Add the remaining ingredients, olives, tomatoes, and the rest of the water or stock.

Transfer the dish into a tagine, slow cooker, deep-dish pan, or ovenproof dish and cook for 30-45 min depending on the equipment you are using.

I cooked this dish in our new Tefal cook4me which is a pressure cooker and slow cooker combo. This greatly reduces the cooking time. It takes only 9 min to cook this dish after the sauté the first step, but it will taste just as good using traditional slow cooker or stove top methods.
Serve with rice or couscous.

Garnish with coriander leaves and slivered almonds (optional)