Chicken Tagine with preserved lemons and olives – no tagine needed! A Moroccan classic using delicious free range chicken on the bone baked with the wonderful aromatic spices of Ras el Hanout, herbs, preserved lemons and olives.
This classic, versatile dish is also one of Morocco’s most famous and well known. And no wonder. It’s utterly delicious and works beautifully for any occasion ranging from casual family dinners to celebration banquets. You’ll find it offered in homes, restaurants, and even on the street in tiny outdoor dining venues. While it is traditionally made using a ceramic tagine which is cooked over a flame, you can also cook it in an oven proof ceramic dish that has a lid, starting with the stove top cooking and finishing it with baking it in the oven.
The Ras el Hanout spice mix is what gives the tagine its special aromatic flavour. You’ll find our recipe for Ras el Hanout here so you can make your own before starting the chicken tagine. The preserved lemons and green olives give the recipe a tangy addition to finish the dish.
Can I use another meat or make it vegetarian?
Absolutely you can! Try making it with fish cutlets or prawns and halve the cooking time, as seafood cooks quite quickly. You can also make it with lamb cutlets.
And if you wanted a vegetarian version, simply omit the chicken pieces, and marinate chickpeas and eggplant before cooking the rest of the recipe. It won’t need as long in the oven , use the potatoes as the guide to tell you when it’s cooked and ready.