Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons and Olives

Wikipedia will help with the Tagine Lesson for today.  What is a tagine?  Here's more than you probably ever wanted to know about tagines.

Now back to the program.  I saw this Le Creuset version and immediately fell in love.  Plus, it's just FUN to use.  Google tagines or go to Ebay and check out the dozens of styles and colors.

Tajine or tagine (Berber: taǧin) is a type of dish found in the North African cuisines of Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and Libya, which is named after the special pot in which it is cooked.  A similar dish, known as Tavvas, is found in the cuisine of Cyprus.  The traditional tagine pot is formed entirely of a heavy clay, which is sometimes painted or glazed.  It consists of two parts: a base unit that is flat and circular with low sides, and a large cone or dome-shaped cover that rests inside the base during cooking.  The cover is so designed to promote the return of all condensation to the bottom.  With the cover removed, the base can be taken to the table for serving.

Recently, European manufacturers have created tagines with heavy cast-iron bottoms that can be heated on a cooking stove to a high temperature. This permits the browning of meat and vegetables before cooking.

1 chicken, about 3 lbs.

2 T. tagine spices (mixture of salt, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, ginger)

2 bay leaves

4 T. extra-virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves, sliced

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

2 small yellow onions, thinly sliced

1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

6 preserved lemon wedges, rinsed & pulp removed, cut into strips 1 inch long

1 cup green or black olives

Cooked couscous or basmati rice for serving

Cut the chicken into serving pieces: 2 legs, 2 thighs and 2 wings; cut each half-breast in half.  Set aside. In a small sauté pan over medium heat, toast the spices, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes.  Transfer to a large bowl.  Add the bay leaves, 2 Tbs. of the olive oil, the garlic, salt and pepper and whisk to combine.  Add the chicken and stir to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours.  Remove the chicken from the marinade and reserve the marinade.

 

In a tagine or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm the remaining 2 T. oil until almost smoking. Working in batches, brown the chicken on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes total.  Transfer to a plate.

Add the onions to the tagine and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. 

Reduce the heat to medium and add the reserved marinade, the 1/2 cup parsley, cilantro, lemon juice, preserved lemon and olives.

Now add in the chicken.....

Cover the tagine and cook until the chicken is tender and falling off the bone, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.  Discard the bay leaves.  Garnish with parsley and serve the chicken directly from the tagine.