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Chicken Tagine with Olives and Preserved Lemon
This recipe has a story! It reflects the collaborative work that exists within the small team at Terre Exotique! Indeed, the recipe for the Mrouzia tagine blend was passed down by the mother of a team member of Moroccan origin. We added our own touch by incorporating delicate rose petals, giving it a subtle floral note.
As for the recipe itself, it's a family recipe from another colleague. It was (and still is) her favorite recipe. When she was little, she regularly asked her mom for it and requested thinly sliced potatoes to be baked in the oven with a drizzle of olive oil. Plunged into the sauce, the crispy potatoes were deliciously indulgent!
This recipe brings joy to both young and old, even for those who usually don't like olives. Boiling them with sugar removes the bitterness and makes them flavorful for everyone.
It can also be made with leftover chicken from the day before. In that case, since the chicken is already cooked, simply add it to the sauce 5 minutes before the end of cooking.
Ingredients for the recipe:
- 6 chicken thighs or 6 chicken drumsticks
- 1 preserved lemon
- 1 large onion, finely sliced
- 4 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 to 3 teaspoons of Terre Exotique tagine blend
- 1 vegetable or chicken bouillon cube
- 500g pitted green olives
- Fresh coriander
- Salt
- Voatsiperifery pepper
- 3 sugar cubes
Methods :
For the marinade: The day before, marinate your chicken thighs or drumsticks.
- In a bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of olive oil with 2 to 3 teaspoons of the tagine blend.
- Rub your chicken pieces with half of a preserved lemon, reserving the other half for the end of the dish.
- Generously coat the chicken pieces with your marinade in a dish, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.
On the cooking day:
- In a pot, sauté the finely sliced onions in olive oil with vegetable or chicken bouillon.
- Add the chicken and brown the pieces until they have a nice golden color.
- Cover with water and let it cook covered for 35 minutes to reduce the sauce.
- In a saucepan, blanch the olives for at least 30 minutes in a large amount of water with 3 sugar cubes to remove bitterness. Then, rinse them (you can also prepare this step the day before).
- Add the blanched olives and half of a preserved lemon to the meat.
- Let it cook and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce becomes creamy.
- Two minutes before the end, add finely chopped coriander.
- Serve your tagine with steamed potatoes on the side.
