I go thru phases where I’m dominating the cooking scene in my house and others where I’m driving thru somewehere to grab something. But I always think I’m feeling the best about myself and my life when I’m spending time in the kitchen. It’s a place where I can create and think and do something good for my family. Last night I made this family favorite and it has inspired me to get back on the consistent cooking horse again.
In case you didn’t already know, a tagine is a teracotta pot used in African and Moroccan style cooking. It has sort of a flat base with a cone-shaped top and is typically used for making flavorful stews and whatnot. But here’s the thing, I don’t have one, and chances are that you don’t either…but no worries, you can do this in a Dutch oven or a large skillet with a lid and it’s totally fine.
I serve this with cous cous and naan bread (or something that will sop up the sauce.) Last night I wilted some kale with olive oil, garlic, and a little balsamic vinegar and chopped up some persimmon to serve on top. My dear old friend Vivian (who some of you may know from her hit TV show A Chef’s Life) made a much yummier version of this kale salad on a recent girls’ weekend, but I have her to thank for the introduction of persimmons to me! Anyhow…here’s the recipe! There is a 5×7 PDF I’ve created for you to print off as well that will be at the end of this post! Enjoy!
Chicken Tagine with Lemon and Olives
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
- 12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (you can use breasts, but the thighs are much more tender and flavorful for this.)
- 1 c. all-purpose flour (for dredging)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 tsp minced fresh ginger (or you can use the fresh-ish kind that comes in a refrigerated tube!)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 c. low sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 c green olives chopped (I used the kinds with the pimento b/c they were WAY cheaper and don’t change the taste in this dish at all)
rind from 1 lemon, zested - 2 cinnamon sticks
Combine lemon juice and chicken in a large zip-lock plastic bag and marinate in refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Remove chicken afterwards and discard remaining juice in bag.
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and dredge in mix of flour, pepper, salt, cayenne pepper, and turmeric. Heat oil in a large skillet with high sides or dutch oven over med-high heat. Add half of the chicken and cook about 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Once it’s browned on both sides, remove from pan, add a little more oil as necessary for the second batch of chicken and repeat procedure with other half of chicken. I also sprinkled a bit more turmeric over the chicken as it browned. Once done, remove all the chicken from the pan and set aside.
Then, to same pan, add the onion, ginger, and garlic and saute until tender (about 5 minutes or so.) Then return all of the chicken to the pan. Add the chicken broth, olives, lemon zest, and cinnamon sticks, and about another 1/4 tsp turmeric, and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, cover the pan, reduce the heat, and simmer 1 hour or until chicken is tender. Discard cinnamon stick before serving.
Bon Appetit!
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