Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Carrots, Onions, Greek Olives and Preserved Lemon
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| Morocco is credited with inventing the tagine in the 9th century. |
What is a tagine?
It's a vessel with a conical shaped lid which has a hole in the top for venting. Its unique shape cooks what's inside in a way that circulates the flavors while keeping the ingredients very moist and not making them mushy.
For years, I wanted a tagine. I know it's not practical. It's a pain to store. I know a covered casserole works almost as well. But I still wanted one. When I saw one pretty enough to sit out on display along with my other oversized ceramic dishes, I asked for it for Christmas. Santa Tom bought it for me at Williams-Sonoma.
Fast forward 3 years. It was still sitting in the window, unused. Until now.
The results were excellent. My recipe isn't probably an authentic Moroccan chicken tagine. I cobbled together ideas from a few recipes plus my experience with braising chicken. Definitely going to make it again. Very easy to make. The hardest part was finding the jar of perserved lemon in the grocery store. It took two of us to figure that out.
---Barbara
Moroccan Chicken Tagine
(adapted Once upon a Chef and Cooks Illustrated)
Makes 4 servings
4 chicken thighs, bone-in
1 1/4 t. sweet paprika
1/2 t. ground cumin
1/4 t. cayenne
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. ground coriander
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
1 perserved lemon, sliced crossways
salt and pepper
1-2 T olive oil
5 whole cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
1 large yellow onion, halved, cut into thick slices
1 3/4 cup (next time it will only be 1 cup) chicken broth
1/2 T. honey
3 medium carrots, scraped and cut into coins
1/2 cup greek green olives, pitted
2 T. fresh cilantro
Previously, season the tagine per the manufacturer's instructions.
A few hours before cooking, remove the chicken from it's packaging, cut off any excess skin, pat it dry and place on a plate to airdry in the fridge.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove top rack to make room for the tagine.
Bring the chicken out of the fridge and season it well with salt and pepper on both sides.
In a separate skillet, heat olive oil and brown the chicken over medium high heat. Skin side down first.
Remove the chicken to a plate.
To the pan drippings, add the onion and garlic and stir well.
Add the spices, and cook until fragrant, stirring to coat all the onion well.
In the bottom of tagine, add the cooked onions and spice mix.
Return the skillet to the heat, add a 14.5 ounce can of chicken broth and stir with a wooden spoon or firm spatula to pick up all the browned bits.
Bring it to a boil. Add the carrot coins and stir for a minute.
Pour into the tagine. Set aside the skillet.
To the tagine, add the preserved lemon.
Then add about half of the olives.
Carefully place the chicken piece, with their skins up, into the liquid. Like turtles, their backs should sit above the liquid. Don't want the chicken skin to get too flabby.
Drizzle honey over the top.
Sprinkle with the remaining olives.
Place cover on top.
Using mitts, place the tagine in the center of the oven.
Cook for 35 minutes.
When done remove from the oven, and remove the top with oven mitts.
Serve in a deep plate or bowl with couscous on the side, garnished with cilantro.
To the couscous, I added shallots and wilted baby spinach and arugula greens.
B