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Moroccan Chicken with Lemon and Olives

Moroccan Chicken with Lemon and Olives
  • Category

    Dinner

  • Cusine

    Moroccan Cuisine

Ingredients

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 chicken, 3-4 lbs, cut into 8 pieces

Salt

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, chopped

The rind from 1 preserved lemon, rinsed in cold water, pulp discarded, rind cut into thin strips

1 cup green olives, pitted

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Combine all the spices—paprika, cumin, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, black pepper—in a large bowl. Pat dry the chicken pieces and put in the bowl, coat well with the spice mixture. Let the chicken stand for one hour in the spices.

If you are using a clay tagine , place it on a heat diffuser on the heating element to prevent the tagine from cracking, and place the olive oil in the tagine and heat it on medium heat. If you do not have a tagine, you can use a thick-bottomed, large skillet with a cover. Heat the olive oil in the skillet on medium high heat. In either case, sprinkle the chicken pieces very lightly with salt and place skin side down in the tagine or skillet for 5 minutes, until lightly browned.

Lower the heat to medium-low, add the garlic and onions over the chicken. Cover and let cook for 15 minutes.

Turn chicken pieces over. Add the lemon slices, olives, raisins, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a simmer on medium heat, then lower the heat to low, cover, and cook for an additional 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and quite tender.

Mix in fresh parsley and cilantro right before serving. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve with couscous, rice, or rice pilaf.