Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemon and Olives (Djej Mqualli)

Some dishes teach you patience, and this tagine is one of them. Chicken simmered low and slow with ginger, saffron, and a hit of preserved lemon until the sauce turns thick and glossy and the whole kitchen smells like a spice stall.

I started making tagines after falling for the flavors in chechebsa and harira (recipes on the site), and this one has become the dish I reach for when I want something a little more special than a weeknight dinner but nowhere near as fussy as it sounds.

My husband is convinced preserved lemon is the greatest condiment nobody talks about enough, and after making this a dozen times, I’m inclined to agree with him. Serve it with warm bread for scooping up every bit of sauce.

Moroccan Chicken Tagine Recipe

Prep time: 20 minutes · Cook time: 55 minutes · Total: 1 hour 15 minutes · Servings: 4 · Calories: ~480 per serving

Ingredients

• For the chicken:
• 1 whole chicken (about 4 pounds), cut into 8 pieces, or 4 pounds bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, grated or finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 cups chicken broth or water
• For finishing:
• 1 preserved lemon, pulp removed, rind thinly sliced
• 1 cup green olives (such as picholine or castelvetrano)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot or tagine base over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 6 minutes.
3. Stir in the garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin, and saffron; cook 1 minute until fragrant.
4. Nestle the chicken pieces into the pot along with the cinnamon stick. Turn to coat in the spiced onions.
5. Pour in the broth, bring to a simmer, cover, and cook over low heat 35 to 40 minutes, turning the chicken once, until tender and cooked through.
6. Uncover and add the preserved lemon rind and olives. Simmer uncovered 10 more minutes to let the sauce reduce slightly.
7. Remove the cinnamon stick, stir in the cilantro and parsley, and taste for salt.
8. Serve hot with warm bread or couscous to soak up the sauce.

Recipe Notes

• Preserved lemons are the ingredient that makes this dish unmistakably Moroccan; find jars of them at Middle Eastern grocery stores or make your own weeks ahead by packing lemons in salt and their own juice.
• If you can’t track down preserved lemon, a mix of fresh lemon zest and a splash of brine from your olive jar gets you partway there in a pinch, though it won’t be quite the same.
• A tagine pot isn’t required. A wide, heavy Dutch oven with a tight lid does the job just fine for a home kitchen.
• Use a meat thermometer to confirm chicken has reached 165°F at the thickest point before serving, especially with bone-in pieces of varying size.