Chicken and preserved lemon tagine recipe

Chicken and preserved lemon tagine recipe

Serves 4-6 | Ready in 1 hour 20 minutes | Rating

This is one of the best known and loved tagines. Accompany with houmous, flatbread and a few mezze dishes to make it into a dinner party spread. It's low in calories too.

Ingredients

Pinch of saffron

600ml chicken stock, hot

2 tbsp olive oil

1.7kg organic chicken, jointed or 1.5kg chicken pieces (leg, thigh and breast)

1 large onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp coriander seeds, lightly crushed

1 cinnamon stick, snapped in half

5 small preserved lemons, quartered (we used Belazu, available from Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and specialist Middle Eastern shops or see our 'How to make tagine' in the Know How section)

200g green olives

Small handful fresh flatleaf parsley or coriander, chopped

Method

1. Soak the saffron in a jug containing the hot stock for a few minutes. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large deep-sided frying pan or casserole over a high heat and brown the chicken pieces for 2-3 minutes. You may need to do this in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan and steam the chicken. Remove the chicken to a plate and add the onion to the pan. Reduce the heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

2. Add the garlic and spices to the pan and cook, stirring, for a further minute. If you’re using a tagine, transfer the onion to the base and add the saffron-infused stock and the browned chicken pieces (if using a casserole, leave the onion in the pan, then add the chicken and stock). Bring to the boil and simmer over a gentle heat, covered, for 40-50 minutes, until the chicken is tender.

3. Add the lemons and olives and simmer for a further 15 minutes. Season to taste, scatter with the fresh herbs and serve with couscous.

Nutritional info

Per serving (based on 6): 344kcals, 19.4g fat (4.4g saturated), 39.6g protein, 4.4g carbs, 2.8g sugar, 1.7g salt

Chef's tip

You can easily cook the tagine in a large casserole in the oven if you prefer. Preheat to 150°C/fan130°C/gas 2 and cook, covered, for 1 hour. Add the lemon and olives and return to the oven for a further 15 minutes before scattering with parsley and coriander.