Chicken Tagine with Olives and Lemons

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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!!

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!

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!

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.

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.

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:

• Moroccan Orange Cake
• Moroccan Butternut Squash Soup
• Avocado Date Smoothie for breakfast

Enjoy!!

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 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours

Servings: 4 Servings

Calories: 273kcal

Author: Lisa Johnson

1/21x2x3x

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken cut into pieces (or 4 thighs and 2 breasts)
• ⅓ 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

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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