Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons, Fennel, Olives, and Harissa

Great spicy, exotic chicken dish. I created this mashup of several recipes to inaugurate my new tagine, but I think any skillet, loosely covered, should work. Serve over couscous.

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 54 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 24 mins
• Calories: 517 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground paprika
• ground black pepper
• ¼ cup toasted almonds
• 3 cloves garlic, minced, or more to taste
• 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
• ½ teaspoon ground cayenne
• 4 (6 ounce) bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
• 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained, divided
• 1 cup pitted green olives, divided
• 3 tablespoons harissa, or to taste
• ½ preserved lemon, thinly sliced, divided
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger root (Optional)
• 5 cherry tomatoes, halved, or more to taste

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Mix paprika, cumin, salt, cayenne, cinnamon, turmeric, and black pepper together in a small bowl.

Step 2

Pat chicken thighs dry and place them in a resealable plastic bag. Sprinkle paprika mixture over chicken thighs; massage the bag to coat chicken evenly.

Step 3

Heat oil in a tagine over medium heat. Add chicken; cook until browned, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. Cook and stir fennel, onion, and garlic in the tagine. Stir in half of the garbanzo beans, chicken broth, 1/2 cup green olives, harissa, 1/2 of the preserved lemon, and ginger.

Step 4

Lay chicken over garbanzo bean mixture; sprinkle remaining olives on top. Scatter cherry tomatoes on top. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until chicken is tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Step 5

Combine remaining garbanzo beans with 2 tablespoons of broth from the tagine in a food processor or blender; blend into a thin paste.

Step 6

Transfer chicken to a serving dish. Stir garbanzo bean paste into the tagine. Simmer until flavors combine, about 5 minutes. Spoon broth mixture over chicken.

Step 7

Garnish with remaining preserved lemon and toasted almonds.