Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 medium chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 onion, julienned
- 3 cloves garlic, slivered
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 teaspoon powdered saffron threads
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock, low sodium canned chicken broth or water
- 1 cup pitted mild green olives, such as cerignola, rinsed if salty
- Peel of 1 or 2 preserved lemons, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
- Lemon juice, to taste, optional
Directions
In the bottom of a tagine (or, in a heavy Dutch oven), heat the olive oil until hot. Season the chicken thighs on both sides with the salt and pepper, and ground ginger and sear until golden brown on the skin side, 4 to 6 minutes. Turn the chicken thighs to the other side, add the onion and garlic, and continue to cook until the vegetables are wilted, about 4 minutes longer. Add enough broth or water to come halfway up the sides of the chicken pieces. Add the cinnamon sticks, bay leaf and saffron and stir so that the spices are combined with the cooking liquid. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat so that the sauce simmers, and cook the chicken, turning frequently, until tender, about 1 hour. Add the olives, and lemon peel and continue cooking, uncovered, until very tender and falling from the bone, about 30 minutes longer. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken pieces to a serving platter and cover to keep warm. Increase the heat under the tagine and cook until the sauce is reduced to a thick consistency, about 10 minutes longer. Add, parsley, cilantro and lemon juice to taste, if desired. Discard the cinnamon sticks. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve immediately.
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By pkquillen
Eustis, FL
on September 12, 2012
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This has become a family favorite. The chicken thighs are so moist and juicy and I just love the hint of cinn. & bay. I serve it with coucous of course.
By m.louise
Los Angeles, 38
on January 20, 2012
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I love this recipe and have made this dish a handful of times now. I'm not a fan of thighs so I've only made this using chicken breasts and I can tell you it is incredibly juicy. This last time I made this I also added two carrots cut up like the onions and lemon grass (good source for: antioxidant, relieves fever, muscle cramps, upset stomach, & headaches instead of the preserved lemons. I just bruise the lemon grass using the back side of a knife, chop it in half and cook it with the vegetables. Key note: remove lemon grass when done otherwise you'll have a very woody object in your meal.
By bprashner_7217548
Austin, TX, Uni...
on May 30, 2011
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This recipe is fantastic. I was sure to brown thighs well. They render a lot of fat and I drained a fair amount and then added back what I wanted to use along with a tablespoon of butter to saute the onions and make the sauce. After bringing the sauce to temp I added the browned chicken back and went low and slow to let the chicken benefit from all the amazing flavors in this dish without overcooking. I also added a tad extra spices during the onion saute phase so that they bloomed even more without burning on the chicken.
Highly worth getting preserved lemons and saffron even though expensive. When Meyer lemons come into season this year I will most definitely be making a batch or two of preserved lemons to use in this recipe and others. A great condiment as well. Thanks Emeril!
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