Chicken with Lemon and Olives (Moroccan Tangine Style)

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A tagine-style braise made in a casserole dish — warm spices, salty-sour preserved lemon, and briny olives simmered with chicken until tender.

“So good over couscous — the preserved lemon and olives really cut through the rich, spiced sauce and keep every bite tasting bright instead of heavy. Ras el hanout does a lot of the work here too, giving it that warm, earthy depth without much effort on your part. Honestly tastes even better the next day, once the flavours have had time to sit and soak in.”

 

Ingredients

  • 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thigh cutlets
  • 15g ras el hanout
  • 5g sea salt flakes
  • 3tbs olive oil
  • 1 large brown onion, thinly sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1g ground ginger, grated
  • 1.5g ground turmeric
  • 375mls chicken stock
  • 1 preserved lemon, pulp removed, rind thinly sliced
  • 150g green olives (like Sicilian or picholine)
  • 1 pinch saffron threads (optional)
  • 10g fresh coriander, chopped
  • 10g fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • 1 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving

Serves 4 

Prep time: ~20 minutes (seasoning the chicken, slicing the onion, mincing garlic, prepping the preserved lemon and olives, and letting the chicken rest at room temperature)

Cooking time: ~60 minutes (searing, building the base, simmering covered, then uncovered to reduce the sauce)

Total time: ~80 minutes

Directions

  1. Season the chicken: Pat the chicken dry and season all over with 15g ras el hanout and 5g sea salt flakes, rubbing it into the skin. Let it sit at room temperature while you prep the rest.
  2.  Sear the chicken: Heat 45mls olive oil in a large heavy-based casserole dish over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken skin-side down until deeply golden, then flip and sear the other side. Work in batches if needed. Remove chicken and set aside.
  3. Build the base: In the same dish, lower the heat to medium and add 1 large brown onion, thinly sliced. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to turn golden. Add 4 garlic cloves, minced, 1g ground ginger, grated, and 1.5g ground turmeric, and cook until fragrant.
  4. Simmer: Pour in 375mls chicken stock and add 1 pinch saffron threads (optional) if using, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the dish. Nestle the chicken back in, skin-side up, along with any accumulated juices. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover and cook on low heat until the chicken is nearly tender.
  5. Add lemon and olives: Uncover and stir in the sliced 1 preserved lemon, pulp removed, rind thinly sliced and 150g green olives (like Sicilian or picholine). Continue simmering uncovered until the chicken is fully cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly.
  6. Finish and serve: Remove from heat and scatter 10 grams fresh coriander, chopped and 10g fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped over the top. Serve with 1 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving alongside, over couscous or crusty bread to mop up the sauce.

Tips:

No tagine needed — any heavy casserole dish with a lid (like a Le Creuset or Chasseur) works fine, since the shape of a tagine is mainly for slow gentle heat distribution, which a casserole dish handles just as well. Ras el hanout, preserved lemon, and good green olives are all easy to find at Middle Eastern grocers or the international aisle of most Coles/Woolworths. If you don’t have preserved lemon, use the zest of one lemon plus a squeeze of juice added at the end, though the flavour won’t be quite as deep.

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