Learn how to make this Moroccan classic, Chicken with Olives Tagine. It’s an aromatic meal, flavored with turmeric, cumin, ginger, and preserved lemons, that is cooked until the meat is tender and served over a bed of couscous.
Our family schedule seems to get busier with the cooler weather approaching, and sometimes I find myself trying to figure out how to get it all done. Thankfully, I have my trusty slow cooker to help out in the kitchen (if only it could do the dishes too)!
As much as I love a pot of chili and a creamy soup waiting for us when we get home after a long day, it can become a bit boring after awhile. But there is so much more to the world of slow cooking that you could experiment for months and still have plenty more options to explore.
I love variety and preparing cuisines from around the world. I would have to say that I heavily lean towards the foods that surround the Mediterranean. Some of the world’s oldest recipes, tried and true, with rich and exotic flavors, all started around the Mediterranean. Thankfully, we can recreate some of these amazing foods in our modern kitchens. Tagine pots are the original slow cooker, so it makes perfect sense that you can also enjoy making them in your slow cooker.
Chicken with Olives Tagine: A simple one-pan meal
I’ve decided to make the Moroccan classic, Chicken with Olives Tagine. It’s an aromatic meal, flavored with turmeric, cumin, ginger, and preserved lemons, then it is cooked until the meat is tender and served over a bed of couscous. If you wish to make it a bit spicier, then you can add one to two dried hot chilies to your dish, but I’ve kept mine on the mild side since I have young mouths to feed. My children really enjoy the lemon flavor and green olives. If you are feeding a crowd, then simply double the amounts shown in the recipe.
Depending on my day, I will either cook it on the high setting for 2 1/2 – 3 hours or on low for 4 – 6 hours. You can serve it over a simple bed of couscous or rice with some nice flat bread, like naan or chapati, on the side.
Ingredients
- 2 large onions, chopped
- 2 lbs chicken, boneless & skinless, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 - 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- Pinch of saffron threads
- 1 tsp salt, or to taste, optional
- 1 cup green olives
- 1/4 cup preserved lemon slices (about 1 whole preserved lemon)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup chicken broth, preferably low sodium
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro (or a mix of fresh cilantro and flat leaf parsley), chopped
- Couscous or rice, prepared according to directions
- Extra cilantro and/or flat leaf parsley, to garnish
- Flat bread, such as naan or chapati
Instructions
- In the slow cooker, first layer the diced onions along the bottom and then top it off with the diced chicken followed by the minced garlic.
- Now sprinkle the turmeric, cumin, ginger, and saffron over the top.
- Continue to layer with a small of salt, the olives, and preserved lemon slices.
- Squeeze the juice of the lemon and pour in the chicken broth.
- Cover and set the slow cooker to either high for 2 1/2 - 3 hours or on low for 4 - 6 hours.
- Prepare the couscous or rice, and serve the with the Chicken with Olives Tagine and a nice piece of flat bread.
Notes
Home Chef Tip: You can use either chicken breast or thighs, boneless and skinless for this recipe. I also suggest that you go easy on the salt since you will be adding the preserved lemons, olives, and broth, you may find that you do not need to add any extra salt at all. For a spicier meal, add 1 -2 dried chilies during cooking time. If you are unable to find preserved lemons, you can either make you own a few days before or substitute with the zest of 1 lemon.
If you are not a slow cooker owner, now is a good time to become one, especially with the cooler weather heading our way. I hope you enjoy and happy slow cooking!
We hope you love this Chicken with Olives Tagine recipe from SoFabFood Contributor, Stacey from Little Figgy Food, as much as we do. If you love this recipe, be sure to visit our Slow Cooker section for more easy weeknight meal ideas. For daily recipe inspiration, like us on Facebook, follow us on Pinterest, and stop by our Google+ Community to see all of the amazing recipes our community members are sharing. Enjoy!
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