Moroccan · Main course · Probada 10 veces

Tajine de pollo con limón en conserva y aceitunas

Saffron-and-ginger-rubbed chicken braised slowly with preserved lemon, oil-cured olives, and a forest of coriander. The earthenware is optional — the technique is everything.

Por Yasmin Laalou · MENA editor · Publicada 2026-02-09 · Actualizada 2026-05-12
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Prep.
20 min
Cocción
75 min
Total
95 min
Rinde
4 servings
Dificultad
Easy
#moroccan#stew#chicken#make-ahead
Respuesta rápida · Respuesta en 30 segundos

Rub bone-in chicken with grated onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, saffron, salt, and olive oil. Layer onions in a tagine or heavy pot, set the chicken on top, add stock, cover, and braise gently 60 minutes. Add quartered preserved lemons and oil-cured olives, simmer 10 minutes more. Finish with fresh coriander and parsley.

  • Saffron bloomed in warm water gives you the colour and aroma — not a dry sprinkle into the pot.
  • Preserved lemon is non-negotiable — use only the rind for delicate dishes (the pulp adds saltiness).
  • Low heat. Long lid-on. The juices that release are the entire dish — never boil them off.

Equipment

  • Tagine (24 cm) or heavy Dutch oven with a tight lid
  • Microplane (for ginger/garlic)
  • Small bowl for blooming saffron

Ingredientes

Marinade

  • 1.3 kg bone-in chicken pieces, thighs and drumsticks, skin on
  • 1 small onion, finely grated
  • 5 garlic cloves, finely grated
  • 15 g fresh ginger, finely grated
  • 5 g ground turmeric
  • 0.2 g saffron threads, about 20 threads, bloomed in 2 tbsp warm water 10 min
  • 8 g fine salt
  • 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil

Braise

  • 2 medium onions, sliced thinly
  • 300 ml chicken stock or water
  • 30 ml olive oil
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 preserved lemons, pulp removed, rind quartered
  • 100 g oil-cured black olives, or violet olives

To finish

  • Large handful fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped
  • Small handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • Cracked black pepper

Elaboración

  1. PASO
    01

    In a large bowl, combine the chicken with grated onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, salt, the bloomed saffron and its water, and 2 tbsp olive oil. Rub thoroughly. Marinate at room temperature 30 minutes, or refrigerate up to 24 hours.

  2. PASO
    02

    In the bottom of a 24 cm tagine or Dutch oven, spread the sliced onions and the cinnamon stick. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil. Lay the marinated chicken on top, skin up, in a single layer. Pour any marinade in the bowl over the chicken.

  3. PASO
    03

    Pour the stock around the edges — not over the chicken (you want the skin partially exposed).

  4. PASO
    04

    Cover with a tight lid. Place over the lowest heat that maintains a gentle simmer — you should hear quiet bubbling. Cook 45 minutes without opening. The onions melt; the chicken bastes itself.

  5. PASO
    05

    Open the lid. Tuck the quartered preserved lemon rind and the olives into the pot. Spoon some of the pan liquid over the chicken. Cover and cook 15 more minutes.

  6. PASO
    06

    Open the lid. The sauce should be slightly reduced and yellow-gold. If too thin, simmer uncovered 5 minutes; if reduced too far, add a splash of water.

  7. PASO
    07

    Off the heat. Squeeze in the juice of ½ lemon, scatter generously with chopped coriander and parsley, and grind black pepper over the top. Serve straight from the tagine with bread or couscous.

Make ahead

Marinate the chicken up to 24 hours ahead — flavour penetrates and deepens. The full dish reheats beautifully; the flavours marry.

Storage

4 days refrigerated, in fact better on day two. Reheat covered, gently, with a splash of water.

Variations

Tagine d'agneau aux pruneaux

Lamb shoulder cubes in place of chicken; replace olives with 200 g dried prunes added in the last 30 minutes. Braise 2 hours total.

Chicken-and-vegetable tagine

Add 2 carrots cut into batons, 1 zucchini in chunks, and 1 cup chickpeas at the same time as the lemon and olives. Stretches it to 6 servings.

Tagine with green olives and tomato

Skip preserved lemon (or halve). Add 400 g crushed tomato to the braise. Use cracked green olives. A different family of tagine but excellent.

Serve with

Buttered couscousKhobz (Moroccan flat bread)Mint tea, finished tablesideA green salad with shaved fennel and olive oil

Nutrition per serving

480 kcal 28 g fat 18 g carbs 38 g protein 5 g sugar 4 g fiber 1180 mg sodium
Diet: Gluten-free, Dairy-free

Nutrition values are estimates based on the metric measurements. Adjust as needed.

Preguntas frecuentes

Do I need an actual tagine?

No. A heavy Dutch oven with a tight lid does the same job — slow, contained, condensing steam. The earthenware tagine is more romantic and traditionally goes over a charcoal kanoun, but the cooking principle is identical.

Where do I get preserved lemons?

Any Middle Eastern, North African, or well-stocked Mediterranean grocer. Or make them: pack lemon wedges with salt in a jar for 3+ weeks. Once you have them, they last forever in the fridge.

Why bloom saffron in water?

Saffron is water-soluble. Sprinkled dry into the pot, much of the flavour and colour stays trapped in the threads. 10 minutes in warm water releases the orange compounds — your pot turns gold instantly when you pour it in.

Can I use boneless chicken?

You can — drop the braise time to 25 minutes. The bone-in version is meaningfully more flavourful because the bones release gelatin and the dark thighs hold up to the long cook.

Is the dish lemony?

Yes but not aggressively — preserved lemon is more floral and salty than sharp. The fresh lemon at the end provides the punchy citrus. If you want less, use 1 preserved lemon and skip the fresh juice.

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