# Chicken Tagine with Olives and Preserved Lemon

> A tagine cooks with very little liquid because the conical lid creates a **closed steam cycle**. Use the **peel of the preserved lemon only, never the pulp** — the pulp is intensely salty and destroys the balance. And the olives go in in the last ten minutes.

**Moroccan Cuisine · 80 min · 5 servings · 390 kcal per serving**

Chicken with olives and preserved lemon is the most famous Moroccan tagine, and for most people it is their introduction to preserved lemon. The common mistake is adding the pulp along with the peel — which makes the whole dish salty.

## Ingredients

- 1 piece — chicken, jointed
- 2 pieces — onions, sliced
- 4 cloves — garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp — ground ginger
- 1 tsp — turmeric
- 1 pinch — saffron, steeped
- 1 cup — green olives
- 1 piece — preserved lemon
- 0.25 cup — olive oil
- 1 cup — water

## Method

1. **Marinate** — Rub the chicken with the garlic, ginger, turmeric, steeped saffron and olive oil and leave for **at least 30 minutes** so the spices penetrate the meat.
2. **Build the tagine** — Spread the sliced onion across the base of the tagine or a heavy pot and lay the chicken on top. The onion forms a barrier that stops the chicken sticking and scorching.
3. **Very little liquid** — Pour in **one cup of water only** and cover tightly. The conical lid returns condensed steam to the food, so extra liquid only dilutes the flavour.
4. **Slow cook** — Leave it on **very low heat for 45 minutes** without lifting the lid. Every time you open it you lose steam and break the cooking cycle.
5. **Olives and lemon** — Rinse the olives, rinse the preserved lemon peel and slice it, and add both in the **last 10 minutes only**. Olives cooked for long turn bitter.
6. **Serve** — Serve in the tagine itself with Moroccan bread. The sauce is eaten with bread rather than a fork, which is why it stays concentrated rather than loose.

## Tips

- One cup of water only — a tagine cooks in its own steam, and extra liquid dilutes it.
- Peel of the preserved lemon only; discard the pulp, which is far too salty.
- Olives in the last 10 minutes. Long cooking brings out their bitterness.
- No tagine? A heavy pot with a tight lid works — add foil under the lid if the seal is poor.

## FAQ

### How do I make preserved lemon at home?
Split lemons, pack them with coarse salt in a sterilised jar, cover with lemon juice and leave 3 to 4 weeks somewhere dark. They keep a year afterwards, and only the peel is used.

### Why are my olives bitter?
They cooked too long. Add them in the last 10 minutes only, after rinsing off their brine — prolonged cooking draws out their bitter compounds.

### Can I make it without a tagine?
Yes — a heavy-based pot with a tight lid gives a very close result. What matters is very low heat, little liquid and a good seal; add foil under the lid if it does not seal well.

---

Source: https://hanakoleah.com/en/moroccan-cuisine/chicken-tagine-olives-preserved-lemon
Edited by: Marwa Mohamed
Last updated: 2026-09-12