For the second of our favourite recipes, we’re heading to Marrakech and to intimate riad Dar Zaman, set in the quieter reaches of the northern medina. Our mouths are watering so much at the sound of this tagine that we’re already googling the next available flight!
Lemon and ginger chicken tagine with olives
Chicken with preserved lemons and olives is a favourite on menus across Morocco, but not all tagines are created equal! At Dar Zaman, chef Karima enhances the taste by adding ginger.
Ingredients:
2 chicken legs (or slightly more if you’d like)
1 tablespoon of chopped parsley
½ a preserved lemon (already preserved or home-made)
1 teaspoon of black pepper
2 teaspoons of powdered ginger
1 teaspoon of saffron powder or a few shakes of dried saffron leaves (enough to colour)
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of sunflower oil
1 pinch of salt
3 grated garlic cloves
2 diced small onions (red or white is fine)
¾ cup of water
Garnish: rind of ½ a preserved lemon sliced into ½ cm slices, and 8‐12 olives
Method:
1. Firstly, you need to prepare the chicken. Rub it thoroughly with salt and leave to stand for a few minutes.
2. Rinse off the salt with water, then rub the chicken all over with a piece of lemon to cover it in juice. Leave to stand for a few minutes ‐ the chicken will turn white from the juice.
3. Rinse again with water.
4. Mix all of the ingredients together in a medium saucepan, and simmer over a medium heat until the onions have become clear.
5. Once the onions are clear, add enough water to just cover the chicken, then place the lid on top of the pot. Simmer at a low/medium heat until the water has reduced to about 1/2 cm. At this point, remove the chicken and place it into a tagine while you continue reducing the broth at a low temperature for 1 minute.
6. Add your garnish to the chicken and then the reduced sauce.
7. Place the tagine in the oven at the lowest warming temperature for 20 minutes.
8. Serve in a hot tagine with a side of green beans.