Moroccan CooksRecipes from Morocco
Moroccan Tagines

Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemon and Olives

By The Moroccan Cooks KitchenUpdated

Chicken slow-cooked with saffron, ginger, preserved lemon and green olives until the sauce turns golden and thick enough to scoop with bread.

Moroccan chicken tagine with preserved lemon slices and green olives in a clay dish
Prep
25 min
Cook
1 hr 10 min
Total
1 hr 35 min
Serves
6
Difficulty
Easy

If there is one dish that explains Moroccan cooking in a single pot, it is this one. Djaj mqalli is chicken cooked gently in a saffron and ginger sauce, finished with preserved lemon and green olives that cut straight through the richness. It is what appears on the table when guests arrive without warning.

The method is unhurried but almost entirely hands-off. You build a layer of onion, sit the chicken on top, add just enough water to keep things moving, and let the pot do the rest for about an hour. No browning, no stirring, no thickening agents — the sauce reduces on its own.

A clay tagine gives the most authentic result, but a heavy casserole with a tight lid works and is what most Moroccan kitchens now use on a weeknight.

Ingredients

Servings

Makes 6 servings

For the tagine

To finish

Instructions

  1. Marinate the chicken

    Put the chicken in a large bowl with the grated onion, garlic paste, ginger, turmeric, pepper, salt, saffron and its soaking water, and half the olive oil. Rub everything into the meat with your hands and leave for at least 20 minutes at room temperature, or overnight in the fridge for a deeper flavour.

  2. Build the pot

    Spread the sliced onion over the base of a tagine or heavy casserole and pour over the remaining olive oil. Arrange the chicken pieces on top, skin side up, and scrape in every bit of the marinade. Tuck the bunch of herbs in beside the meat.

  3. Start the cook

    Add the water, cover, and set over a low to medium heat. If you are using a clay tagine, put a heat diffuser underneath and bring it up slowly — clay does not like a sudden flame. Once you hear it bubbling, turn the heat to its lowest steady setting.

  4. Cook gently

    Leave to cook for 45 minutes without lifting the lid more than once or twice. Baste the chicken with the sauce halfway through and turn any pieces that are sitting above the liquid.

  5. Add lemon and olives

    Lift out the herb bundle and discard it. Tuck the preserved lemon rind and the olives around the chicken, cover again and cook for a further 15 minutes so their flavour moves into the sauce.

  6. Reduce the sauce

    Uncover and raise the heat a little. Let the sauce bubble for 5 to 10 minutes until it is glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon, spooning it over the chicken as it reduces. Taste and adjust the salt now, not before.

  7. Serve

    Scatter with chopped coriander and bring the pot straight to the table with plenty of bread. Moroccan custom is to eat from the tagine itself, using bread rather than cutlery.

Cook’s notes

  • No preserved lemons? Simmer the rind of one unwaxed lemon in salted water for 15 minutes, then use it the same way. The flavour is brighter and less complex, but it works.
  • Saffron is the one ingredient worth buying properly. A cheap substitute will colour the sauce but contribute nothing to its taste — leave it out entirely instead.
  • The tagine reheats well and improves overnight. Add a splash of water before warming it through gently.

Recipe information

Prep time
25 min
Cook time
1 hr 10 min
Total time
1 hr 35 min
Servings
6
Calories
465 kcal per serving
Cuisine
Moroccan
Course
Main Dish
Difficulty
Easy
Keywords
moroccan chicken tagine, chicken tagine with preserved lemon, djaj mqalli, authentic moroccan chicken

Nutrition is an estimate per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Values vary with brands, cuts and portion size.

taginepreserved lemonolivessaffronone potfamily dinner

Frequently asked questions

Can I make chicken tagine without a tagine pot?
Yes. A heavy casserole or Dutch oven with a well-fitting lid reproduces the same slow, moist cooking. Keep the heat low and resist adding extra liquid; the onions release more than you expect.
Should I brown the chicken first?
No. A traditional mqalli is not browned. The colour comes from turmeric and saffron, and skipping the browning keeps the meat tender and the sauce clean-tasting.
What do you serve with Moroccan chicken tagine?
Round Moroccan bread is the classic accompaniment, used to scoop the sauce. A cooked salad such as zaalouk or taktouka on the side makes it a full meal.
Can I use chicken breast?
You can, but add it for the final 25 minutes only. Bone-in thighs and drumsticks hold up far better to the long cook and give the sauce more body.

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