441 – Tagine Chicken w/ Preserved Lemon / طاجين الدجاج بالحامض المصير

Ingredients :

Chicken base:

• 2 large chicken thighs, or another cut of your choice
• Pulp of ½ preserved lemon (no rind), finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon preserved butter (smen), or butter
• ¼ onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley and cilantro, mixed
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
• A pinch of saffron threads
• Pepper, to taste

Topping:

• ½ preserved lemon (no pulp, rind only), rinsed and sliced into two
• 10 green olives

Directions :

1- In a tagine plate, combine the vegetable oil, olive oil, preserved butter, chicken thighs, chopped preserved lemon pulp, chopped onion, crushed garlic, chopped parsley and cilantro, and spices. Note that there is no salt in this recipe due to the saltiness of the preserved lemon pulp.
2- Cover the tagine and cook on medium heat for a few minutes until the chicken changes color.
3- Add 1/4 cup (60 ml) of boiling water, cover the tagine, and continue cooking for around 20 minutes or until the chicken is done. Check on the tagine from time to time and add water if necessary; there should always be enough liquid for the chicken to fully cook.
4- Once the chicken is done, add the green olives to the sauce and top the chicken with the preserved lemon rind. Cover and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.
5- Serve immediately with crusty bread.