Chicken Tagine

30 June 2026 By

My take on a classic North African stew featuring tender, slow-gentle cooked chicken combined with olives, preserved lemons, and dried fruits like apricots, simmered in a rich spiced broth. There are some key spices that goes into a tagine including ras el hanout, ginger, cinnamon, and saffron.

What is the main secret to a good tagine? Hours of slow gentle braising make the sauce thick and rich and using whichever meat of choice that can hold up to braising.

It is traditionally served with steamed couscous, pilaf rice, bulghur or any other grains of choice or even crusty breads to mop up all the delicious sauce from the stew.

I love my tagine spicy so I usually add a few whole green chillies and let it cook down until it’s soft and caramelised. Drizzling over our Latasha’s Kitchen Funky Black Bean with Harissa Chilli Oil was simply a great match, both over the stew and herbed couscous. Start this recipe a day earlier for the chicken to marinate well.

Ingredients

  • 6-8 chicken thigh cutlets, drumsticks or 3-4 Maryland pieces, skin left on.
  • 1 tbsp kosher or grey sea salt

A

  • 50 g chopped coriander
  • 30 g chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 8 cloves garlic, minced
  • Thumb sized ginger, minced
  • 1 tbsp sweet paprika
  • 1 tsp ground cumin powder
  • 1 tsp fennel powder
  • ½ tsp coriander powder
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • ¼ tsp each ground clove, cardamom and nutmeg powders
  • 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

B – Mix together in a bowl

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 wide strips of orange zest
  • 1 whole preserved lemon – rinsed well, seeds discarded, pulp removed and chopped, and rind very thinly sliced (keep for Ingredients C)
  • Pinch of saffron threads

C

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 4 whole green chilies
  • 500 ml chicken stock
  • 1½ tbsp Mutti tomato paste concentrate
  • ½ cup green olives, pitted
  • ½ cup dried apricots

For serving

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Method

  1. In a medium-to-large bowl, toss the chicken pieces with the salt.
  2. Add all the items listed under Ingredients A and mix well with chicken.
  3. Then add the mixture from Ingredients B. Toss to coat the chicken pieces well rubbing some of the mix under the chicken skin. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
  4. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
  5. From Ingredients C add onion slices and a pinch of salt, cinnamon stick and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are wilted and translucent, 5-8 minutes.
  6. Add the marinated chicken pieces so they’re in an even layer and tuck the green chillies in between. Next add the chicken stock and tomato paste. Cover, and when the mixture starts to boil, lower the heat so the liquid is at a gentle simmer and cook for an hour.
  7. Add olives, apricots, and reserved thinly sliced preserved lemon rind. Press them in so they’re tucked under and around the chicken pieces. Cover and simmer for another 15 -20 minutes, or until the apricots and olives have softened a bit. Remove from heat.
  8. To serve, squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the chicken and stir gently. Drizzle liberally with crispy Latasha’s Kitchen Funky Black Bean with Harissa Chilli Oil.
  9. Serve warm with herbed couscous, barley, rice, bulgur wheat or another starch or grain.