Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemon & Olives

Method

1. 1

   Rub the chicken with the ginger, turmeric, garlic, half the olive oil, salt and pepper, and let it sit 15 minutes.

2. 2

   Warm the remaining oil in the tagine base or a Dutch oven and soften the grated onion over medium heat for 8 minutes until it collapses into a rough purée.

3. 3

   Nestle in the chicken skin-side up, pour over the saffron water and 200 ml of water, and scatter with half the herbs.

   💡 Grated rather than sliced onion melts into the sauce and gives tagine its signature body.

4. 4

   Cover and braise at a gentle simmer for 40 minutes, turning the chicken once halfway.

5. 5

   Add the olives and preserved lemon strips and simmer uncovered 10 minutes more, until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon.

   💡 Rinse the preserved lemon first if you want the perfume without the full salt hit.

6. 6

   Shower with the remaining cilantro and parsley and bring the pot straight to the table with plenty of crusty bread for the sauce.