Chicken Tagine With Lemons And Cherries Recipes

MOROCCAN CHICKEN TAGINE

Steps:

• Combine the spices in a small bowl and set aside. Zest the lemon. Combine 1 teaspoon of the lemon zest with 1 minced garlic clove; set aside.
• Season both sides of chicken pieces with 2 teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or pan over medium-high heat until beginning to smoke. Brown the chicken pieces skin side down in single layer until deep golden, about 5 minutes; using tongs, flip the chicken pieces over and brown the other side, about 4 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a large plate; when cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and discard. Pour off and discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan.
• Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until they have browned at the edges but still retain their shape, 5 to 7 minutes (add a few tablespoons of water now and then if the pan gets too dark). Add the remaining minced garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the spices and flour and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the broth, honey, remaining lemon zest, and ¼ teaspoon salt, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Add the chicken (with any accumulated juices) back in, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add the carrots, cover, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the carrots are tender-crisp, about 10 minutes more.
• Stir in the olives, reserved lemon zest-garlic mixture, cilantro, and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice; taste the sauce and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice, if desired. Serve with couscous.
• Note: Don't fret too much over trimming the chicken thighs. The skin gets removed midway through the cooking process and most of the fat will cook off and get drained. I usually just take kitchen shears and quickly snip off any excess skin or fat. Cracked green olives are olives that have been 'cracked' or split open before curing, allowing the brine or marinade to penetrate. You can find them in your supermarket's olive bar, or substitute any green olive that you like.
• Make-Ahead: After you have completed the step of cooking the carrots, the dish can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. To serve, gently warm on the stove until the chicken is heated through, then proceed to the step where the olives and remaining ingredients are added.

CHICKEN TAGINE WITH PRESERVED LEMON AND OLIVES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 1/4 cup olive oil, the coriander, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, saffron, cloves, ginger and red pepper flakes. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and place in the marinade. Stir until the marinade covers each piece. Refrigerate for 2 hours and up to overnight.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry; reserve the marinade. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a tagine or a large Dutch oven. Place the chicken skin-side down in the pot and brown for 4 to 5 minutes. Turn and brown an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the chicken and reserve on a plate.
• Add the onions and garlic to the same pot and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock, green olives, lemon peel, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and the reserved chicken and marinade. Bring to a low boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook 45 minutes.
• Stir in the cilantro, parsley and lemon juice. Serve with couscous if desired.

CHICKEN TAGINE WITH OLIVES AND PRESERVED LEMONS

Steps:

• Mix garlic, saffron, ginger, paprika, cumin and turmeric together. If not using kosher chicken, add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add pepper to taste. Rub chicken with mixture, cover, refrigerate and marinate 3 to 4 hours.
• Heat oil in heavy skillet. Add chicken, and brown on all sides. Remove to platter. Add onions to skillet, and cook over medium-low heat about 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer to tagine, if you are using one, or leave in skillet. Add cinnamon stick.
• Put chicken on onions. Scatter with olives. Quarter the lemons, remove pulp and cut skin in strips. Scatter over chicken. Mix stock and lemon juice. Pour over chicken.
• Cover tagine or skillet. Place over low heat, and cook about 30 minutes, until chicken is done. Scatter parsley on top, and serve.

CHICKEN TAGINE WITH LEMONS AND CHERRIES

Steps:

• 1. Mix all spices together and sprinkle liberally over chicken as a dry rub, try to cover as much surface area as possible.
• 2. Place covered in refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to 6 hours.
• 3. Heat oil in tagine and saute garlic until soft.
• 4. Brown chicken in batches, set aside.
• 5. add and sweat onion rings in bottom of tagine.
• 6. place chicken on top of of sweatted onions, add broth.
• 7. place lemon slices and cherries on top of chicken.
• 8. cover and cook on low to low medium for 45 minutes to 1 hour.