Chicken tagine with green olives, fresh lemon slices and coriander in a clay tagine, lid tilted, on a wooden table with chillies and olives. — Photo: BBouchra00 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Middle Eastern & North African · Lunch · Dinner

Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemon and Olives

Name: Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemon and Olives
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 65 min
Cuisine: Middle Eastern & North African
Ingredients: 8 thighs (about 700 g) boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of visible fat; 1 tbsp olive oil; 2 medium onions, finely chopped; 4 cloves garlic, crushed; 1 tsp ground ginger; 1 tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp sweet paprika; 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/2 tsp black pepper, ground; 1 small pinch saffron threads; 1 cup water; rind of 1 small preserved lemon preserved lemon, rind only, rinsed and thinly sliced; 1/2 cup green olives, pitted or whole, rinsed; 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped; 1/3 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

طاجين الدجاج بالحامض المرقد والزيتون (Tajine djaj bil hamd markad wal zitoun)

By BerryFit Kitchen · Nutrition checked with USDA data · Updated Oct 11, 2026 · How we make recipes

Tender chicken thighs braised in a golden onion sauce perfumed with ginger, turmeric and saffron, finished with tangy preserved lemon and briny green olives. It's a lighter take on the Moroccan classic that uses skinless chicken and just a spoonful of oil.

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 50 min
Total: 65 min
Serves: 4

Medium
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
High protein
Low Carb

16%

Per serving313kcal16% of a 2,000 kcal day

36gProtein

11gCarbs

14gFat

4gFiber

Calories come from: Carbs 13% · Fat 41% · Protein 46%

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Ingredients

For 4 servings

8 thighs (about 700 g)boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of visible fat
1 tbsp14 golive oil
2 medium220 gonions, finely chopped
4 cloves12 ggarlic, crushed
1 tspground ginger
1 tspground turmeric
1 tspground cumin
1 tspsweet paprika
1/2 tspground cinnamon
1/2 tspblack pepper, ground
1 small pinchsaffron threads (optional)
1 cup250 gwater
rind of 1 small preserved lemon40 gpreserved lemon, rind only, rinsed and thinly sliced
1/2 cup80 ggreen olives, pitted or whole, rinsed
1/2 cup loosely packed15 gfresh coriander (cilantro), chopped
1/3 cup loosely packed10 gfresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Steps

1
Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towel.
2
Rinse the preserved lemon rind and the olives under cold water, then drain and set aside.
3
Heat the olive oil in a tagine or wide heavy pan over medium-high heat.
4
Brown the chicken for about 3 minutes per side, then move it to a plate.
5
Lower the heat to medium, add the onions and cook for 8 minutes, stirring, until soft and golden.
6
Stir in the garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, black pepper and saffron (if using) and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
7
Pour in the water and scrape up any browned bits from the base of the pan.
8
Return the chicken and its juices to the pan and bring to a gentle simmer.
9
Cover and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes, turning the chicken once halfway.
10
Scatter the preserved lemon rind and olives over the chicken.
11
Simmer uncovered for 8–10 minutes until the sauce thickens and the chicken reaches 74 °C / 165 °F in the thickest part.
12
Taste the sauce and adjust the pepper; no extra salt is needed, as the lemon and olives season the dish.
13
Sprinkle with the coriander and parsley and serve hot.

Swaps, storage and make-ahead

Swaps

Use bone-in skinless chicken thighs instead of boneless for a richer sauce, adding about 10 to 15 minutes to the covered simmer and checking they reach 74 °C / 165 °F.
If you can't find preserved lemon, stir in the finely grated zest of 1 lemon plus 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice at the end of cooking.
Swap the saffron for an extra 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric if saffron is hard to find or too pricey.
For a vegetarian version, replace the chicken with two drained cans of chickpeas and chunks of butternut squash, simmering until the squash is tender.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating until steaming hot. It can be frozen for up to 3 months, though the olives and herbs soften, so add fresh herbs after reheating.

Make ahead

Chop the onions and mix the dry spices a day ahead and keep them covered in the fridge. The whole tagine can also be cooked a day in advance, cooled and refrigerated, then reheated until steaming hot and finished with fresh herbs just before serving.

Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.

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Allergens and nutrition

No major allergens in the ingredients.

Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.

Full nutrition

	Per serving (338 g)	Per 100 g
Calories	313 kcal	93 kcal
Protein	36.1 g	10.7 g
Carbohydrates	10.5 g	3.1 g
of which sugars	3.1 g	0.9 g
Fiber	3.6 g	1.1 g
Fat	14.1 g	4.2 g
of which saturated	2.9 g	0.9 g
Sodium	489 mg	145 mg

Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.