This Moroccan Chicken Tagine is made with chicken, spices, fresh herbs, briny olives and potatoes. This delicious North African stew is made right on the stovetop. Perfect for an easy weeknight dinner or special occasion dish.
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This Chicken Tagine is made with chicken thighs, ground ginger, turmeric, and potatoes. Tagines are traditional North African stews. There are many different combinations of meat, vegetables and spices.
I first went to Morocco as a graduate student while getting my Master’s in teaching English. I fell in love with the cuisine and learned how to cook from scratch there.
For more dinner recipes, try my Kefta Meatballs, Baked Shrimp with Cheese, and Tomato Beef Soup.
Why This Recipe Works
- This is truly a one pot meal (meat, vegetable and sauce in one).
- Tagines are Moroccan stews traditionally cooked in tagines (cone shaped earthenware), but this recipe can be made in a heavy pot, pressure cooker, or Dutch oven.
- You can swap out chicken thighs for chicken breast and substitute different vegetables in place of the potatoes.
- Preserved lemon gives this tagine a slight briny flavor. Be sure to also try my preserved lemon pound cake!
Instructions
So let’s make this brothy, savory North African specialty! Start by browning the chicken with the onions, salt and pepper in oil. The recipe calls for chicken thighs but is also delicious with chicken thighs and drumsticks or even chicken breasts. Be sure to use bone-in since the bones add flavor. There’s a saying I heard several times in Morocco that says “the flavor is in the bones.”
Once both sides of the chicken are nice and golden, add about two cups of water. I always find it easier to add water than to take it away, so aim to just barely cover the meat as in the picture shown above.
You’ll also add the spices now too. Be careful with the turmeric since, as you likely know, it likes to turn things bright yellow!
Cover the pot and cook the chicken for 20-30 minutes. Once cooked, remove the chicken with a slotted spoon to a plate and cover it to keep it warm. In the chicken’s place, add the potatoes and cook, covered. During the last five to ten minutes of cooking the potatoes, add the olives, parsley, cilantro, and preserved lemon slices. The preserved lemon adds the most amazing smell and taste. I promise you it’s like nothing else you’ve ever tasted!
Your sauce should have thickened up by now. If, after cooking the potatoes, the sauce is still on the watery side, remove the potatoes and cook the sauce uncovered until it becomes thick. Return the chicken to the pot to warm through and serve!
Tagines are traditionally scooped up and soaked up with bread. This is usually a must since the sauce is SO GOOD! Since there are potatoes in this tagine, I wouldn’t be disappointed if you needed to skip the bread due to carb overload.
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Moroccan Chicken Tagine
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 4 pounds chicken thighs bone-in, with or without skin
- salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 2-3 cups water
- 1½ pounds creamer potatoes or new potatoes
- 1/2 cup green and or Kalamata olives
- 1/2 preserved lemon optional, cut into slices
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Instructions
- 1. In a deep skillet or Dutch oven, saute the onions, garlic, and chicken in olive oil over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper and saute for 7-10 minutes, turning the chicken once. Cook until chicken becomes golden.
- 2. Add the ginger and turmeric and just enough water to almost cover the chicken. Start with 2 cups water and add more if needed. Bring to a boil over medium heat then reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for about 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through, turning the chicken half way through cooking.
- 3. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken to a plate. Cover with aluminum foil.
- 4. Add the potatoes to the sauce and cook until the potatoes are cooked through and the sauce has reduced and has thickened. When potatoes are close to being cooked, add the olives, parsley, cilantro and preserved lemon or lemon juice. Cook for ten more minutes. Add the chicken back into the pot to warm through and serve!
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
Roo
Easy and delicious! I added a pinch of saffron
Natalie
Thank you so much for making this chicken tagine recipe! I’m so happy you enjoyed it! Saffron is the perfect addition 🙂