Chicken Tagine with Lemon & Olives
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Ingredients
- 1 chicken, about 3 lb.
- 2 Tbs. tagine spices
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 2 small yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 1⁄2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
- 1⁄2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1⁄4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 6 preserved lemon wedges, rinsed and pulp removed, or peel of 1 lemon, cut into strips 1 inch long
- 1 cup green or black olives
- Cooked couscous or basmati rice for serving
Directions
Cut the chicken into serving pieces: 2 legs, 2 thighs and 2 wings; cut each half-breast in half. Set aside.In a small sauté pan over medium heat, toast the spices, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the bay leaves, 2 Tbs. of the olive oil, the garlic, salt and pepper and whisk to combine. Add the chicken and stir to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and reserve the marinade.
In a tagine or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm the remaining 2 Tbs. oil until almost smoking. Working in batches, brown the chicken on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.
Add the onions to the tagine and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the chicken, reserved marinade, the 1/2 cup parsley, cilantro, lemon juice, preserved lemon and olives.
Cover the tagine and cook until the chicken is tender and falling off the bone, 1 to 1 1D2 hours. Discard the bay leaves. Garnish with parsley and serve the chicken directly from the tagine. Accompany with couscous. Serves 6.
