Lemon Chicken and Olive Tagine Recipe

A tagine might sound elaborate, but it’s really just a slow-simmered Moroccan stew. This classic recipe gets vibrant flavors from a colorful array of warming spices, tart lemon slices, and briny olives. Serve the tender chicken with couscous, quinoa, or cauliflower rice to make it a complete meal. 

Lemon Chicken and Olive Tagine

Yield: 5 servings
Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours and 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
5 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
Generous 1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, thickly sliced
2 organic lemons, sliced into rounds
Juice of 1 lemon
1 bunch cilantro, chopped, divided
1/2 cup green olives

Instructions

Stir together turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, onion and garlic powders, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add chicken thighs and toss to coat. Cover and set aside 30 minutes.

In a large dutch oven pot, heat olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add chicken thighs and brown on all sides, about 2 minutes each. Remove from pot set aside. Add sliced onion and sauté in juices and oil until golden brown. Add chicken back to the pot and top with sliced lemons, lemon juice, 3/4 of the cilantro, and olives. Fill with enough water to cover chicken and lemons. Place top on, reduce heat to low, and let simmer and stew until chicken is tender, about 2 hours. Top with remaining cilantro to serve.

Photo credit: Paul Delmont