Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Olives and Preserved Lemons

A classic dish, this Moroccan chicken tagine gets tons of flavor from preserved lemons, olives, and onions. It can be cooked on the stovetop in an authentic tagine or roasted in a baking pan in the oven, depending on what equipment you have at your disposal. Either way, you'll enjoy a delicious meal that is sure to please everyone at the dinner table.

What Exactly Is a Tagine?

To the unfamiliar, tagine can be a little confusing, because it's both the name of the dish, and the vessel in which the dish is cooked. Typically made of clay or ceramic, the tagine is used in northern African cuisine, and it is distinguished by its wide, circular base and a cone-shaped top.

The tagine functions like a slow cooker in a sense: the cone shape returns moisture to the base of the tagine, creating a moist and flavorful dish. Traditionally, tagines sit on a bed of charcoal bricks specifically designed to retain their heat for hours. However, home cooks may find it more practical to put the tagine in a low oven or over low heat on the stovetop instead (this recipe uses the stovetop method).

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Ingredients You'll Need to Make This Tagine

This recipe includes a number of traditional Moroccan ingredients. Here's a rundown of the ones that might be less familiar if you don't cook Moroccan food often.

• Preserved lemons: Lemons preserved in salt add brightness to this dish and you really can't replicate their pickled flavor with lemon juice or zest. You can easily make preserved lemons at home, or you can buy them at well stocked grocery stores, as well as at specialty shops and online.
• Smen: Smen is a preserved butter that has a somewhat cheesy flavor. It's optional for this recipe, but helps give the tagine its authentic flavor. It's easy to make at home, although it has to sit for at least a month. You can also buy it in specialty stores and online—Zamouri Spices is one source.
• Ras el hanout: While no two versions of the Moroccan spice blend ras el hanout are exactly the same, it typically includes cardamom, nutmeg, anise, mace, cinnamon, ginger, various peppers, and turmeric. This recipe calls for a homemade ras el hanout, but you can also experiment with the blends available from various brands.
  

Tips for Making this Tagine

• Familiarize yourself with your equipment: If you've never cooked in a tagine before (or if it's been awhile), be sure to read through the manufacturer's instructions and see this guide about how to cook in a Moroccan tagine.
• Cut up a whole chicken: Give people the option of light or dark meat by starting with a whole chicken for this recipe. For either the tagine or the baking pan method, you can cut a whole chicken into either halves or individual pieces prior to marinating. The pieces may fit better in a tagine; the halves are easier to handle in the oven and can be cut after cooking.
• Marinate overnight: You'll get more flavor if you start marinating the chicken with the Moroccan spices the night before you want to cook the tagine.
• Mind the salt: Since the olives, lemons, and smen in this recipe are salty, don't be too liberal with the added salt in this dish—1/2 teaspoon or less.
• Use a heat diffuser: If you're cooking this dish in a tagine on the stovetop, it's important to use a heat diffuser to so the ceramic doesn't crack and break.
• Be flexible about cooking times: The cooking times may vary depending on the size of your chicken. Use the cooking times in the recipe as a guideline and check the internal temperature of the chicken with an instant read thermometer. Cook the chicken until the thermometer registers between 165 and 175 F in the thickest part of the chicken.

How to Serve This Tagine

Moroccan tradition is to eat directly from the tagine, using Moroccan bread to scoop up the chicken and sauce. Belgian fries (patate frite) often top the chicken, though you can use your favorite French fry recipe or heat up packaged fries. Serving rice on the side also helps you soak up the tasty juices.