Chicken and Olive Tagine

A few notes:

1. You could use any part of the chicken you want. I just used legs today.
2. It's spicy, not super-hot spice but packed with spices spicy. I serve it with couscous but you could also serve it with rice or eat it with bread. Bread is the traditional way to eat it.
3. You cannot really overcook chicken in a tagine since it's a combination of boiling and steaming. I usually cook mine for 1 1/2 - 2 hours (low heat, slow cooking). The chicken should be fall apart tender. Just keep an eye on it.
4. And yes, this post has a ton of pics. I wanted this to be as detailed as possible for the people that have never made or even eaten chicken tagine.
5. This recipe is not complicated even though the instructions seem long. I just added a lot of detail. :)

The Tagine
Tagine is the name for the meal and the vessel the meal is cooked in.
Do you really need a tagine? No, probably not, but I would recommend one. I use an Emile Henry Flame Top 3.7 Quart Tagine. It's huge but it's worth it. I love the extra room to brown and saute. It works for 3 people or 10. If you don't have one then just use a large pot with a lid (I would say cast iron would be best). The reason I love Emile Henry is because it's flameware, meaning you do not need a defuser to place on the burner and it's much less likely to break. It can withstand a lot of abuse and high heat. That being said, it's still clay so you have to be careful with it. I do not turn it up passed medium heat even though it says I can, I just don't need to (clay heats up faster and hotter than most pans). In fact, I usually have it below medium to saute and then halfway between medium and low to cook covered. I wait until it cools COMPLETELY before I wash it. Since it is not non-stick (clay isn't), then I make sure to stir the food often (about every 10 or 15 minutes), and after we eat and the pot is still warm I scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to make sure nothing sticks.

I also love Emile Henry because I trust the brand. I am not afraid of being poisoned, yet it's still similar to a traditional tagine.

And just to give you an idea of how successful this meal was.... hubs and I both agreed that this was the best meal we've had in a while. It was amazing. Mimi was watching The Tigger Movie, so I have no toddler comments but I'm sure she would love it too. :)

The spices (I forgot to add the paprika before I took the pic though).
You'll see different spice combos in other recipes, but this is my own recipe.
You could add other flavors and personalize this as well.

Saute the onion and then add the chicken and lightly brown

Add the tomatoes, spices, water and optional tomato juice

Stir well and cover the tagine.
Cook over medium low heat.

After about an hour add the potatoes......

.... and olives....

....parsley, cilantro and chickpeas.

Stir and cook for another 30 minutes,
serve over couscous, rice or with pita.

Chicken and Olive Tagine
Serving Size = 2 - 3
Cooking Time = 1 1/2 - 2 hours

• A few tablespoons of oil (extra virgin olive oil)
• Salt/Pepper (about 1 teaspoon of each, to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• Pinch of cayenne, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 can of whole tomatoes, diced (juice reserved) or 3 large tomatoes, diced
• 6 chicken legs, without skin (or any other part of chicken)
• Roughly 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup tomatoes juice from the can (or straight water. I don't think chicken broth is necessary, but it's up to you)
• 3 small potatoes, sliced as thick as you want (mine were maybe 1/2 an inch)
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/3 cup chopped parsley
• 3/4 cup or so of olives, with pits (I used green and kalamata)
• 1/2 cup or so of chickpeas (I used canned)

1. Place the tagine on the stove with 2 tablespoons or so of EVOO (never heat the tagine dry/empty). Turn the heat halfway between low and medium (I like to warm it up slowly, not necessary though, just out of habit I think), and then finally turn it a little under medium. Saute the onions for a few minutes and then add the chicken legs (skin removed), or any other chicken part or combination you want to use. Gently saute until it starts to have a little bit of color, turning it as you cook it.
2. Add the tomatoes and if you're using canned tomatoes, reserve the juice. Add the spices, garlic and bay leaf. Stir well and then add the water and some of the reserved tomato juice (if you used fresh tomatoes then just add more water in its place). You will want the liquid to go about halfway up the chicken. I do not use chicken broth because I think there is enough flavor and I don't want to waste my broth, but it's optional. Stir, lower heat between medium and low to keep a simmer, cover with the tagine lid and let cook for about an hour or so. Make sure you check it every 10 or 15 minutes and stir the bottom, getting all of the browned yummy flavor off of the bottom. Also turn the chicken in the sauce. The sauce should thicken a bit, but it shouldn't go dry so add more water if necessary (I never need to though).
3. In the last 30 minutes of cooking time, add the potatoes, cilantro, parsley, chickpeas and olives. Stir gently (again, checking about every 15 minutes), cover and cook until the potatoes are cooked and the chicken is fall apart tender. Check the seasoning, add more salt if necessary.
4. Garnish with parsley or cilantro. Serve over couscous. Do not flavor the couscous, you don't even need to cook it in chicken broth. The couscous should be plain and the sauce will provide the flavor. Keep in mind that the couscous will take the spice level down a bit so don't use too much couscous (plus it's extremely filling). You could also serve this over rice or with bread (pita bread, the traditional way to eat it). 

Linking to: Potluck Friday, Hearth and Soul