Chicken tagine with fresh dates and lemons
“Dates have been an essential ingredient in Morocco for thousands of years in savoury and sweet recipes alike.”
- 4 chicken marylands, halved
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground tumeric
- 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
- Salt and cracked black pepper
- 1/2 finely sliced lemon
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 150g green olives
- 6 large fresh medjool dates, halved and pitted
- 1/2 preserved lemon, rinsed and sliced
- 1/4 cup coriander leaves, coarsely chopped
Method
Preheat oven to 200C.
Place chicken pieces in a large bowl and drizzle with 3 tbsp of oil. Combine garlic, paprika, cumin, tumeric and ginger and sprinkle over chicken. Season with salt and pepper and turn chicken to coat. Add lemon slices, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Heat a large ovenproof dish or tagine with remaining olive oil and when hot add onions and stir over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add 1 cup of water and stir well. Place chicken on top of onions, turn to coat, cover and bake for 30 minutes. Add olives and dates and bake a further 10-15 minutes or until chicken is tender.
Serve chicken with juices, olives and dates spooned over and top with preserved lemon and coriander.Serve with couscous or mash.
Serves 4.
