If you’ve ever been to Morocco then you’ll quickly get to know that one of the famous dishes that we take pride in, is chicken Tagine. Why? Because it’s simply delightful, delicious and perfect. It’s a balanced dish with enough protein, carbs and fat for you to keep you going throughout your day.

Moroccan Tagine is a dish that has been a part of our culture since the 12th century.  The word ‘Tagine’ refers to a pot of clay where we cook the most succulent dishes. In this case, chicken is slowly cooked in the “Tagine” until the sauce thickens and becomes rich and aromatic. This dish can be cooked for special occasions as it can be cooked daily. Chicken Tagine ( or Tagine B’djaj in Moroccan dialect) is very popular and it’s a dish that is cooked in all regions of Morocco.

Its main flavour is lemon with a hint of saffron, and it’s the real meaning of refreshing. You can eat it on its own, with some bread, preferably with some soft drinks, and serve it along with some starters that you can find on my e-book if you subscribe to my email list.

Usually, Moroccans take time to perfect this dish, if you want to try the traditional recipe, then here it is. On the other hand, if you want an quick and easy chicken Tagine, then you’ll find the recipe here.

 

 

 

Moroccan Preserved Lemon Chicken Tagine -Tagine B’djaj

Serves 4

Preparation time: 10 minutes. (Can be longer if you let the chicken sit and absorb all the flavours.)

Cooking time: 3h40 minutes. (Can be shorter depending on the heat, and on how much chicken you cook.) 

Ingredients 

• 2 preserved lemons, cut into wedges
• 1 whole chicken, cut into 4 pieces
• 1 large onion finely chopped
• 3 cloves of crushed garlic
• 30 grams fresh finely chopped coriander 
• 30 grams fresh finely chopped parsley
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 40 ml olive oil
• 1 pinch of saffron (crumbled)
• A handful of olives (15 or so, green or red, preferably red for a pop of colour)
• 200 ml water

Method

1. Mix the chicken, seasoning, coriander, garlic, onion, and lemon and let the chicken absorbs the flavour for an hour or longer. 
2. Grab the Tagine, pour the olive oil in it, and let it heat slowly for 5 minutes.
3. Place the chicken in the Tagine, pour some olive oil on top, cover the Tagine and let it cook for 1 hour undisturbed. 
4. After an hour, turn the chicken to the other side and let it cook for another 2 hours undisturbed. 
5. After 2 hours, pour some water over the chicken and turn it again and let it cook for another 30 minutes. 
6. After 30 minutes, add the olives and let them cook with the chicken for another 10 minutes. 
7. Remove the chicken from the heat, and serve it hot with Moroccan bread.
8. Bsaha!

Notes:

• You can add any other vegetables such as potatoes, peas or carrots.

Comment below if there are any recipes you would like to see.