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A friend of mine gave me this Moroccan chicken tagine skillet recipe and holy crap you guys.
I was blown away with it. I am telling you, this Moroccan chicken tagine skillet needs to be on your dinner list like…tonight.
I have always been fascinated with Moroccan cuisine.
I think it is one of the most complex and delicious cuisines out there.
I don’t always seek out Moroccan cuisine but I feel like living in the DC area, I have direct access to a lot of unique cuisines, Moroccan being one of them, and I need to get myself out there more to try them.
I love Moroccan cuisine because of its complexity of flavors and how their dishes are always slowly cooked or braised to bring out flavor.
Why are you so obsessed with this Moroccan chicken tagine skillet recipe?
The flavors are out of this world. Your tastebuds are going to be dancing!
How do I make this Moroccan chicken tagine skillet?
You’ll need the following ingredients:
- Chicken thighs
- Castelvetrano olives
- Kalamata olives
- Preserved olives
- Mix of spices (turmeric, cumin, ginger, paprika, saffron)
- Cinnamon
- Garlic
What are the flavors of Moroccan cuisine?
Moroccan cuisine most prominently uses cumin, ginger, paprika, cinnamon, and saffron.
What are the prominent flavors of this dish?
Briney, tangy, warming, and slightly sweet.
I can’t find preserved lemons.
Preserved lemons are the most important condiment in Moroccan cuisine so you really need it in this dish.
Can I use just Castelvetrano olives or can I just use kalamata olives?
Use both! Different flavors and they balance each other out.
Saffron is expensive; can I omit?
No! You can find it at Trader Joe’s for a pretty decent price and you don’t use a lot of it.
Do I need a tagine for this recipe?
Nope, I don’t have one and I just used my cast iron skillet.
Can I use chicken breasts? I don’t like dark meat.
I highly suggest using chicken thighs.
It doesn’t dry out as easily and are more foolproof. Not to mention, I feel they are way more flavorful.
If you like the flavors of this dish, you’ll love:
- Moroccan turkey meatballs
- Stovetop butter chicken
- Slow cooker pumpkin coconut curry
Moroccan Chicken Tagine Skillet
Equipment
Ingredients
For the spice rub/marinade:
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- Giant pinch saffron threads
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the rest of the dish:
- 1 pound (454 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2 medium onions, sliced
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ⅔ cup (90 g) kalama olives, pitted and roughly chopped
- ⅔ cup (90 g) castelvetrano olives, pitted and roughly chopped
- 1 large preserved lemon, sliced
- 1 cup (237 ml) chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons preserved lemon juice
- Chopped fresh parsley, for topping
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the spice mix then place chicken thighs into a large bowl and pour spice mix on top and rub the chicken throughout to get the spices incorporated. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours.5 cloves garlic, Giant pinch saffron threads, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon sweet paprika, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 pound (454 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and brown on both sides. Remove and place on plate. It's okay if it's not fully cooked through yet. You are just browning it.
- Add the onions and cook for 10-15 minutes, until softened and brown. Add cinnamon stick to the onions then place the chicken back on top.2 medium onions, 1 cinnamon stick
- Sprinkle olives all over, along with the preserved lemons. Pour the preserved lemon juice and chicken stock together and mix then pour into skillet.2/3 cup (90 g) kalama olives, 2/3 cup (90 g) castelvetrano olives, 1 large preserved lemon, 1 cup (237 ml) chicken stock, 2 tablespoons preserved lemon juice
- Cover and let simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.
- Prior to serving, sprinkle fresh parsley on top, if desired.Chopped fresh parsley
I recently purchased a tagine so I was looking for a recipe that sounded good. This recipe sounds delicious. I wanted to know what adaptations I need to make to cook the recipe in my new tagine? Thanks, looking forward to making this
hi Susan! i am not super familiar with a real tagine, but from what i know from a friend is that you do relatively the same steps but you just put it in an oven vs. skillet on the stovetop. depending on how large/small your tagine is, you would have to adjust for liquid. sorry if this isn’t helpful :(
I’ve made this many times and love it…it is a standard meal in our house now. I’ve read through many of the comments and I will offer this advice simply because I’ve made it so many times and substituted things in various ways with varied results ….
1) You must use preserved lemons. Fresh lemons will make the dish bitter
2) You must use saffron, it is essential and does not have the depth of flavor without it. Just a tip here…If you have a Trader Joe’s in your town they have the cheapest deal on
it.
3) Yes use a whole cinnamon stick!!!
4) You must use Castelvetrano olives. I’d say Kalamata olives are a must too but the Castelvetrano olives alone are fine, but without them make something else.
5) I highly recommend trying this with skin on bone in chicken thighs. Render the fat from the skin, it requires a bit longer in the skillet to achieve a nice crispy texture but well worth it.
6) Basically aside from suggestion number 5, follow this recipe word for word!!!!
I love it, I make it weekly, thank you for this amazing recipe!!!
It was good! The preserved lemons i bought at world market. Too tart, thought they’d be sweeter. I had to add a little cornstarch slurry to thicken sauce. Olives were perfect though. I will just add my own lemons next time. I was hesitant to use thighs, am used to breasts, but they were perfect! Not fatty or greasy at all. Thanks for recipe.
Hi, I’m making your dish tonight and was just wondering if it can marinade for longer than 3-4hrs? Thanks in advance!
yes, you can!
What a delicious dinner! And very easy, too. I preserved lemons a couple weeks ago, next time I will allow them a bit more time before using them, and rinse very well before using. In addition, using unsalted chicken broth is what I plan for next time I make this…and I will definitely do so. Thanks for this recipe!