Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemon, Green Olives and Thyme
This is a Moroccan classic, employing two of the most traditional ingredients: cracked green olives and preserved lemon. Refreshing and tasty, this dish can be made with chicken joints or a whole chicken. Serve with couscous and a side salad.
1tablespoonolive oil with a nut of butter (about 1 oz)
1organic chicken, roughly 3 lbs in weight
2preserved lemons, cut into strips
6ouncescracked green olives
2teaspoonsdired thyme or oregano divided
Small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Marinade:
1oniongrated
3cloves garliccrushed
3/4ouncesfresh gingerpeeled and grated
Small bunch of fresh coriander, finely chopped
Fingerful of saffron threads
Juice of 1 lemon
1teaspooncoarse salt
4tablespoonsolive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients for marinade; rub over inside and outside of chicken. Cover, and chill in refrigerator 1–2 hours.
Heat olive oil and butter in base of a tagine, or a heavy-based casserole pot, and brown chicken on all sides. Tip in any leftover marinade, and add enough water to come halfway up sides of chicken. Bring water to a boil, reduce heat, and cover with a lid. Simmer about 50 minutes, turning chicken from time to time.
Add preserved lemon, olives and some of the thyme. Cover with lid again, and simmer 20 minutes. Check seasoning, and sprinkle the rest of the thyme and chopped parsley over the top. Serve immediately from the tagine with fresh bread or couscous.