Tagine of Chicken with Olives and Preserved Lemons

[walton_eats]

O.M.G. So good.



Moroccan Chicken with Olives and Preserved Lemons
Mostly adapted from a recipe in Fine Cooking.


This recipe can also be made using a tagine.

Serves 4













Ingredients

* 1 medium-large onion, finely diced (to yield about 1-1/2 cup)
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* About 10 sprigs fresh cilantro, leaves and stems finely chopped; more chopped leaves for garnish
* Small bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley (about 8 sprigs), leaves and stems finely chopped
* 1 teaspoon paprika
* 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
* Small pinch saffron (about 10 threads), crushed
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 3-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
* 1-1/2 preserved lemons, most of the pulp removed; the rind cut into thin strips
• 1 cup pitted green olives, cut in half
• 1 cup chicken broth

Procedure

1. In a large bowl, mix the onion, garlic, herbs, and spices; this mixture is called a charmoula.




2. In a deep skillet or a Dutch oven, heat the oil on medium-high heat. Cook the chicken in two batches until browned on all sides, about 3 minutes per side, transferring the pieces to the bowl with the charmoula as they're done. Pour off and discard most of the oil in the pan, leaving a film on the bottom. Toss the chicken to coat it with the charmoula.



3. Pour 1/4 cup chicken broth into the pan over medium heat and scrape up any browned bits to help them dissolve. Remove the pan from the heat, add the chicken so it's in a single layer (a little overlap is fine). Scrape out the bowl of charmoula, adding the contents to the pan. Add 3/4 cup chicken broth and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
4. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the preserved lemon strips and olives to the sauce. Cover and simmer, turning the chicken occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and very tender and the onion and herbs have melted into the sauce, 30 to 40 minutes. If it's not yet saucy but the liquid is evaporating, add more chicken broth and continue cooking for another 10 to 15 minutes.



5. Transfer the chicken to a platter. Simmer the sauce uncovered so it has some body, about 3 minutes. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with chopped cilantro leaves.


Serve with couscous cooked in chicken broth (1 box couscous, 2 cups chicken broth, 1 tablespoon butter – bring chicken broth and butter to a boil, stir in couscous, cover, remove from heat, let stand five minutes, fluff with fork), or brown basmati rice.



A great recipe for preserved lemons can be found here. It's the recipe I use, and it's fantastic. If you can get Meyer lemons, use them. They're perfect.

Comments

[lbuckley.livejournal.com]

Ooo, yummy. Mind if I add this to my 'memories'?

[klwalton.livejournal.com]

I don't mind in the least! This is *so* good.

[circumspectly.livejournal.com]

LJ *ate* my reply. Must be hungry.

So, mostly you just use the rinds of the preserved lemons? Do you have other recipes to use the preserved lemons in? I'm intrigued about them, but don't want to end up with 3 jars of stuff I can't find a use for.

This dish sounds lovely. Maybe next week when I'm on break I'll give it a shot...oh, no I won't...I have no preserved lemons. *wah*

[klwalton.livejournal.com]

They last forever, and you can use the pulp, just keep in mind that it's quite salty, so if you use them in a sauce, you probably won't need to salt it.

Mostly, though, you use the rinds, and they're wonderful. Chop them up and toss them in pasta salad. Add them, along with some broth and some meat, to couscous. Pilaf. Braised chicken dishes. Dirty rice (which is what I call rice cooked with broth and veggies and maybe some shrimp or chopped chicken.)

If you want to try the tagine next week, you could probably get away with finely grated lemon rind and a good squeeze of lemon juice. :):)

[mhw.livejournal.com]

Would it be too heretical to leave out the cilantro? I'm one of those people to whom it tastes like really cheap soap :(

[klwalton.livejournal.com]

Nah :). I've made this for the cilantro-impaired, and simply use a bit more parsley. It tastes slightly different, but it's still wonderful.

[kylakae.livejournal.com]

Yay! I'm always looking for new recipes for my tagine and this looks great. My mum bought me a beautiful serving tagine for christmas I need to use, too.

[bambi-cilane.livejournal.com]

where do you buy these preserved lemons?

[klwalton.livejournal.com]

I make them. They're easy - lemons, kosher salt and lemon juice. Layer lemon quarters with kosher salt in clean jars, fill with lemon juice, let sit for four weeks, shaking well at least once a day.

Meyer lemons make the best preserved lemons, but regular lemons work well. Just be sure, if you buy lemons that are waxed, to wash them well, since it's the peel that you use.

[kightp.livejournal.com]

FYI, I've been hoarding this recipe in my Memories since you posted it; it's what made me finally knuckle down and make up a couple of jars of preserved lemons, which are sitting on my counter taunting me. Fellow foodie neokibo is visiting this coming week, and we decided the one thing we must do together is throw a little dinner party so we can cook together.

Since I have everything but the chicken on hand (including my very own home-grown and painstakingly harvested saffron), I'm thinking this is very likely to be our main course. (-:

[(Anonymous)]

So, inspired by this recipe, I put up preserved lemons last month! And made the tagine tonight. oh. my. god. did it come out wonderfully! Yum!

[annaoj.livejournal.com]

er, that was me! oops :)

[klwalton.livejournal.com]

Yay!!! :):):)