Morocco Recipes – Chicken Tagine with Olives & Preserved Lemon
Ingredients
- 1 whole large chicken prepared into pieces (leg, thigh, breast etc)
¼ pound Gizzards (optional)
- ¼ pound Chicken Liver (optional)
- 1 large bunch of fresh coriander (chopped)
- ½ pound of onions (chopped)
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon of real saffron
- 1 teaspoon of turmeric – or alternative colorant
- 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar
- 5 tablespoons of olive oil
- 3 small preserved lemons
- I handful of olives (preferably stoned)
- Salt (fine)
- Rock Salt
- Water
Method
1. First rub the rock salt into the chicken pieces and then wash the chicken in the white wine vinegar and water. Leave for 10 minutes. Rinse and dry and place onto a clean plate.
2. For the Marinade place the following ingredients into a large bowl: 3 tablespoons of olive oil, coriander, cinnamon, saffron, pinch of fine salt, ½ the onions, garlic, cumin, ginger, paprika, turmeric (colourant). Mix all these ingredients into the oil and crush the garlic and add a little waterto paste.
3. Roll the chicken pieces into the marinade and leave for 10-15 minutes.
4. For cooking use a tagine (traditional Moroccan dish) or a deep, heavy bottom casserole dish. Heat the dish up and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the hot dish. Drop in the chicken and pour over the excess marinade juices. Add the remaining onions, gizzards, chicken livers, olives and chopped preserved lemons (no pulp).
5. Cook in medium hot oven (150C) for 45 minutes.
Serve with fresh bread.
