Chicken Tagine with Lemons & Olives

The Moroccan Classic Tagine

Tender chicken thighs pressure-cooked with warming spices, saffron, preserved lemons and green olives, then finished with fresh coriander and parsley and served with fluffy couscous.

Servings 4

Prep 20 min

Cook 25 min

Total 45 min

Difficulty Easy

Niki's Notes

Morocco is my favourite getaway destination as it's only 3 hours flying time from the UK and where the sights and smells explode your senses. From the heady medinas of Marrakech to the wind-swept shores of Essaouira, I don't think I've ever had a bad meal in Morocco (other than the legendary Chez Ali outdoor dinner show, which is so bad, it's hilarious). 
This tagine (or tajine - the dish it's traditionally cooked and served in) is full of warming spices, fragrant saffron and the unmistakable flavour of preserved lemons. Pressure cooking produces beautifully tender chicken in a fraction of the traditional cooking time and like many casseroles, it’s even better the following day once the flavours have had time to develop / mélange.
It is well worth finding preserved lemons as they will last up to a year in a fridge once opened, so you can make this a few times. You can buy preserved lemons in most large supermarkets now, including Sainsbury's, M&S, Aldi, Waitrose, or from your favourite online marketplace that takes its name from a long river.

Ingredients

Chicken Tagine

6 Chicken thighs bone-in and skin-on (Skin-on thighs provide more flavour)

30 ml Olive oil

3 Onions finely chopped

3 cloves Garlic cloves thinly sliced

5 ml Ground ginger

5 ml Ground cumin

2½ ml Ground turmeric

1 Cinnamon stick (small)

2½ ml Saffron threads

200 ml Chicken stock hot

2 Preserved lemons rind chopped (Large; remove the flesh if it is very bitter)

100 g Green olives pitted

5 ml Black pepper freshly ground

Fresh coriander chopped (large handful)

Flat-leaf parsley chopped (large handful)

Salt (to taste)

Couscous

300 g Couscous

300 ml Water boiling

1 pinch Salt

15 ml Olive oil or butter - optional

Method

Prepare the Tagine

Infuse the saffron Stir the saffron threads into the hot chicken stock and set aside to infuse while preparing the other ingredients.

Brown the chicken Select the Sauté function on the pressure cooker and heat the olive oil. Brown the chicken thighs in batches until lightly golden on both sides, then transfer them to a plate.

Chicken, first side: 2 min
Chicken, second side: 2 min
190°C (374°F) hob

Soften the onions Add the chopped onions to the pot and cook, stirring from time to time, until soft and beginning to caramelise.

Onions: 8 min
170°C (338°F) hob

Toast the spices Stir in the sliced garlic, ground ginger, cumin and turmeric. Cook briefly until fragrant.

Garlic and spices: 1 min

Assemble the tagine Return the browned chicken to the pot. Add the cinnamon stick, saffron-infused stock, chopped preserved lemon and black pepper, then stir gently.

Pressure cook Secure the lid and set the steam release valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 15 minutes.

High-pressure cooking: 15 min

Prepare the Couscous

Steam the couscous Place the couscous in a heatproof bowl with the salt and the olive oil or butter, if using. Pour over the boiling water, cover tightly and leave to steam.

Couscous: 10 min

Fluff the couscous Remove the cover and separate the couscous grains with a fork before serving.

Finish and Serve

Release the pressure When pressure cooking finishes, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then carefully release any pressure that remains.

Natural pressure release: 10 min

Reduce the sauce Open the lid and remove the cinnamon stick. Stir in the green olives, select Sauté and simmer without the lid until the sauce has reduced slightly.

Sauce reduction: 5 min
170°C (338°F) hob

Add the herbs Stir in most of the chopped coriander and parsley, keeping a little back for garnish. Taste before adding salt because the preserved lemons and olives may already provide enough seasoning.

Serve Spoon the chicken tagine over or alongside the couscous, scatter over the reserved herbs and serve immediately.

Recipe from https://thyme-with-niki.uk