Chicken Tagine Recipe with Green Olives

The best Moroccan meal I’ve ever had was in Imlil, at the foot of the Atlas Mountains. After a hike and a hot hamam, we enjoyed this tagine around the fire with soft flatbread and a bottle of single malt Scotch with our British hiking companions. Are there any great lifetime memories that don’t involve delicious food?

If you don’t have a clay tagine in your kitchen, don’t let that deter you from trying this recipe. You can use a clay pot cooker, Dutch oven or slow cooker in a pinch. But, for a more authentic experience and bolder flavors, I would recommend purchasing a clay tagine of your own. There are plenty of beautiful and very affordable options available online and at major retailers. Once you discover all the tagine is capable of, you just may find yourself falling in love with tagine cooking as I have.

I hope you enjoy this chicken tagine recipe as much as I always do – it’s a perfect one for autumn with the warming spices and a bit of heat from the cayenne pepper.

Chicken Tagine Recipe with Green Olives
Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients


• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons ras el hanout
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 8 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced thinly
• 2 whole onions, sliced thinly
• ¼ cup saffron water
• 4 chicken breasts, skin on and bone in, halved through center
• 4 chicken thighs, skin on and bone in
• 1/2 preserved lemon peel, julienne sliced
• 1 cup green brined olives
• ¼ cup cilantro leaves, picked
• 2 tablespoons paper-thin sliced almonds

Directions


1. Make a marinade/rub of the spices. Rub the chicken vigorously and allow to marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
2. Remove for cooking and allow to come to room temperature.
3. In a clay tagine on medium-high, melt the butter and add the garlic slices and cook for 2-3 minutes, allowing the fragrance to bloom as the garlic caramelizes (but doesn’t burn).
4. Add the onions and reduce heat to medium. Cover to cook 20 to 30 minutes to soften. As they cook, add saffron water to season and help the onions ‘sweat.’
5. When the onions are soft and seasoned, add the chicken pieces – being sure not to stack them.
6. Cook the chicken, covered for 1 hour.
7. Add the lemon slices and olives and cook, covered, for another 30 to 60 minutes until the chicken meat falls off the bone.
8. Garnish with cilantro leaves and sliced almonds, and serve with hot flatbread, pita or naan to scoop up the juices.

We hope to see you at The Culinary Center on board soon!

About Executive Chef & Director of Culinary Enrichment Kathryn Kelly
Since joining Oceania Cruises in 2011, Chef Kathryn Kelly’s passion for adult learning has been the driving force behind The Culinary Center. While overseeing a faculty of dedicated Chef Instructors, she is the chief architect of more than 100 unique culinary classes as well as our popular Culinary Discovery Tours™, which are immersive chef-led excursions offered in more than 40 destinations worldwide. Chef Kelly completed her doctoral studies in epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and holds two master’s degrees in community medicine and biostatistics. After a fulfilling career in health care, she pursued her lifelong dream of becoming a chef, graduating with honors from The Culinary Institute of America in the fifth decade of her life. Chef Kelly resides on Amelia Island, Florida, and in Austin, Texas. She is an avid golfer and the proud grandmother of Kate, Luke and Jack – who spend cherished hours with their ”YaYa” grilling, cooking and baking for their grateful family.