A tagine is both the cone-lidded pot and the slow, fragrant stew cooked inside it, and Morocco’s most beloved version pairs chicken with preserved lemon and green olives. The cone traps steam and rains it back down, so the chicken practically falls off the bone into a sauce perfumed with ginger, saffron and garlic.
The flavour builders
- Chicken thighs, skin-on for flavour
- Preserved lemons, rind sliced, the non-negotiable signature
- Cracked green olives
- Onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, saffron and a cinnamon stick
- Fresh coriander and parsley, tied in a bundle
The method
- Brown the chicken in olive oil, then set aside.
- Soften grated onion with the spices until it smells like a Marrakech souk.
- Return the chicken with a little stock, the herb bundle and cinnamon.
- Cover and simmer low for 45 minutes, no peeking: the lid does the work.
- Add olives and preserved lemon for the final ten minutes, then reduce the sauce.
No tagine pot required
The earthenware cone is beautiful but not essential: a heavy casserole with a tight lid achieves the same gentle, self-basting simmer. What matters is low heat and patience: a tagine should murmur, never boil. If the sauce is thin at the end, lift the chicken out and reduce hard for five minutes.
Serving it properly
Serve from the pot at the table with couscous or plenty of crusty bread, khobz style, for mopping. The preserved lemon gives a floral saltiness nothing else replicates, so it is worth buying a jar or preserving your own: they keep for a year and improve everything from roast chicken to salad dressings. Finish with fresh coriander and let everyone fight over the sauce.
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