Weeknight Chicken Tagine

By Nargisse Benkabbou

Published June 14, 2024

Weeknight Chicken Tagine
Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.
Total Time
40 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(103)
Notes
Read community notes

Making a tagine might not be the most labor-intensive task, but it can definitely be time-consuming. In this non-traditional recipe, you'll enjoy all the classic flavors of a m'qualli chicken tagine but in less than an hour. Made with preserved lemon and olives, this dish is perfect for satisfying your mid-week Moroccan food cravings. M’qualli tagine refers to one of the ways Moroccan tagines are traditionally seasoned, incorporating ground ginger, ground turmeric and garlic, resulting in a rich, dark yellow sauce. Don’t hesitate to adjust the consistency of your tagine by adding a couple tablespoons of water or stock if it’s too dry, or letting it simmer for a few extra minutes for a thicker sauce. Serve it with bread for a more traditional experience (such as flatbreads or crusty breads like a baguette), but rice or potatoes will also work. 

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

    For the Chicken

    • 2tablespoons olive oil
    • 2large yellow onions, thinly sliced
    • 1¼pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs cut into 1- to 1½-inch pieces
    • ½cup pitted Castelvetrano or Kalamata olives, for serving
    • 2lemons, cut into wedges, for serving
    • 1baguette, for serving

    For the Marinade

    • ½cup vegetable or chicken stock
    • 2tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed
    • 1cup finely chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems, plus more for garnishing
    • 1 to 2tablespoons seeded and finely chopped preserved lemon or the zest of 1 lemon
    • 3garlic cloves, minced or pressed
    • 1teaspoon honey or granulated sugar
    • 1teaspoon ground turmeric
    • 1teaspoon ground ginger
    • Fine sea salt and black pepper
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

388 calories; 14 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 37 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 28 grams protein; 634 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Start preparing the chicken: Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-low. Add the onions, cover and leave to cook, allowing the onions to start sweating, about 5 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, make the marinade: In a medium bowl or measuring jug, combine the stock, oil, cilantro, 1 tablespoon preserved lemon, garlic, honey, turmeric, ginger, ¾ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

  3. Step 3

    Pour about half of the marinade into the pan containing the onions, stirring to combine. Cover and cook over low, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent, 10 to 15 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    While the onions are cooking, add the chicken to the bowl containing the remaining marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate in the fridge while the onions finish.

  5. Step 5

    When the onions are soft and translucent, add the chicken along with the marinade to the pan. Cover and simmer over medium-low for 15 to 20 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken, stirring occasionally, until the meat is fully cooked.

  6. Step 6

    When the chicken is cooked through, the sauce may have thickened slightly, but the pan should not be dry. If necessary, add 1 tablespoon stock or water at a time until the desired consistency is achieved. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and preserved lemon to taste.

  7. Step 7

    Garnish with olives and cilantro and serve with lemon wedges and torn pieces of baguette.

Ratings

4 out of 5
103 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

joan

in case this would be helpful to anybody, I always have a jar of homemade preserved lemons in my refrigerator. But I did find it strange that most recipes just called for chopping up the peel and discarding the lemon inside it which I thought was kind of a waste of good lemon. so after my preserved lemons have finished preserving themselves, I purée them in the food processor and then I can just use it by the tablespoon and dont have to separate peel and discard the actual lemon.

Chris

Very good, easy recipe. The preserved lemon is not optional, it's a foundational flavor to the dish and just using lemon would make this a pretty boring meal. Olives could be optional, but I garnished with a ton. Could use some depth with saffron or searing the chicken first or something...

David

I added : 1/2 lb fresh green beans 1/2 lb diced red skinned potatoes 1 carrot To chicken as it cooked Also to marinade before cooking: large pinch saffron 1/4 tsp fennel pollen 1 tsp smoked paprika

Chef Agostino

This was *chef’s kiss!* Easy, tasty, and we really appreciated that most of the cooking was done with the lids on (in 90 degree weather). The preserved lemon and olives made the dish. Used chicken breasts and served over lemon couscous with red pepper flakes. Thanks for the recipe; it’s a keeper!

Kit

Delicious! Next time I make it I’d pan sear the chicken pieces then add to the onions. I think I’d like it better over rice or farro instead of using the torn bread. I’ve never used preserved lemons before. Really liked the flavor.

Sunny St Pete Jill

My first Tagine! Cooked exactly to recipe for the most part. Wow. Flavors are so complex. I added 1 teaspoon maple syrup to the marinade to round out the flavors. So delicious.

Kaydee

This is an easy and tasty recipe (and smells great). I minced half of a Mina brand jarred preserved lemon - equivalent to about 1 1/2 TB. The honey/sugar offsets bitterness that can come from bits of the lemon. I didn't have ground ginger so subbed jarred minced ginger, and also added some ground cumin and cinnamon. I served over couscous with naan on the side because that's what I had on hand. I tossed in pitted Kalamata and green olives.

lex

This was great — pretty simple recipe. I would definitely recommend marinating the chicken over night. I know — that adds prep work! But the marinade is so easy. I also recommend browning the chicken to give it deeper flavor. We ate over some leftover orzo. Fantastic.

Jomackiwi

Replaced dry ginger with good sized knob of grated fresh ginger, added a chilli, used zest of a lemon as didn't have preserved. Used chicken thigh pieces, which I did sear after marinating. I make my own CC powder, added a tsp of that and didn't have olives so finished with chopped cashews. Had fresh coriander.Mine went in the Indonesian direction but the basic recipe is a very fine foundation. Time to buy green olives and preserved lemon in order to make it as per recipe, but was extremely good

TEW

I have some nice chicken legs and thighs (bone in) think I'll give them a go...

robyn

Very good following the recipe served with fregola

Chef Agostino

This was *chef’s kiss!* Easy, tasty, and we really appreciated that most of the cooking was done with the lids on (in 90 degree weather). The preserved lemon and olives made the dish. Used chicken breasts and served over lemon couscous with red pepper flakes. Thanks for the recipe; it’s a keeper!

Kit

Delicious! Next time I make it I’d pan sear the chicken pieces then add to the onions. I think I’d like it better over rice or farro instead of using the torn bread. I’ve never used preserved lemons before. Really liked the flavor.

Sunny St Pete Jill

My first Tagine! Cooked exactly to recipe for the most part. Wow. Flavors are so complex. I added 1 teaspoon maple syrup to the marinade to round out the flavors. So delicious.

Eri

I hardly bother leaving comments on NYT Cooking recipes but I felt compelled to leave a note saying how much my family and I enjoyed this. I was surprised at how delicious this was considering it took far less time to prepare than a traditional chicken tagine. Do make the effort of sourcing the preserved lemons. They really make a difference together with good quality olives which I threw into the pot 5 minutes before the dish was done.

Katy MC

This was easy and delicious. The olives and the extra lemon juice really set it off. I served it over bulgur and that was an easy side dish.

tess

Had a little chicken-gone-sour snaffu and subbed it out with chickpeas and coconut milk for a zestier (and dare I say, tastier?) version of The Stew. Would add kale next time to complete the meal.

Val Thorson

Instead of drying out, this recipe generated a lot of liquid. It was downright soupy. I was willing to simmer it off only so much because I didn’t want to overcook the chicken. The flavors were nice, and the dish was easy to make. This was also an opportunity to use my first-ever batch of preserved lemons, which was fun. I’d use more of the next time. If I make this again, I’ll somehow modify the process, perhaps using the ground spices and salt as a dry marinade and adding stock sparingly.

tips

Made with 2 lbs chicken thighs

David

I added : 1/2 lb fresh green beans 1/2 lb diced red skinned potatoes 1 carrot To chicken as it cooked Also to marinade before cooking: large pinch saffron 1/4 tsp fennel pollen 1 tsp smoked paprika

Gaynor

Italian flat leaf) parsley would be great instead of cilantro, with some chopped dill too. I don’t think dill is a traditional Moroccan herb but I think it would work with the parsley.

Kaydee

This is an easy and tasty recipe (and smells great). I minced half of a Mina brand jarred preserved lemon - equivalent to about 1 1/2 TB. The honey/sugar offsets bitterness that can come from bits of the lemon. I didn't have ground ginger so subbed jarred minced ginger, and also added some ground cumin and cinnamon. I served over couscous with naan on the side because that's what I had on hand. I tossed in pitted Kalamata and green olives.

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