Juicy braised chicken with olives and lemon, a Moroccan chicken stew with green olives; lemon and amazing Eastern spices… Winner dinner! Let’s call this one a winner dinner then!
Lord almighty, this Moroccan chicken with olives and lemon really packs a punch.
And no surprises there of course.
Because just look at the variety of spices that go into this lovely chicken and olive stew! just to name a few of them to give you an idea.
Flavors
Fresh ginger, chili powder, curcuma, turmeric, star anise, garlic, bay leaf, saffron, preserved lemon, nutmeg and fresh cilantro.
I probably don’t have to go any further. Those spices are such wonderful company for my Moroccan chicken and olives!
Yep.
No wonder this this chicken stew is a family favorite.
Best Moroccan Chicken With Olives & Lemon
I would like to call it a tagine.
But if you take a closer look at my recipe below, then you will see that I don’t use that typical Moroccan ceramic tagine claypot at all. Just an old-fashioned casserole with a heavy lid on it. However I think that if I would prepare this chicken and olive stew in a claypot, that the flavors would be exactly the same.
Do you have one? Then don’t hesitate to use it!
Easy.
And what about that preserved lemon?
Preserved Lemon
Can you use fresh lemon instead of preserved lemon?
Of course you can. But the flavor will not be the exactly the same. Honestly. Preserved lemons have that tangy and salty zesty flavor. If you can find them, please use them in this recipe.
I can find them at our local farmers market here on Saturdays. The guy who sells 20 types of olives and pickled peppers also sells preserved lemons.
Do you need another olive stew recipe?
Then you should also take a look at my mediterranean beef and olive stew!
Enjoy!
Best Moroccan Chicken Recipe with Olives & Lemon
Juicy braised chicken with olives and lemon, a Moroccan chicken stew with green olives and amazing Eastern spices... Winner dinner!
- 1 lb fresh chicken breasts (450 g)
- 1 small onion sliced
- 4 medium garlic cloves sliced
- 1 inch fresh ginger (2,5 cm), grated
- ½ tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp curcuma powder
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 star anise
- ½ cup chicken stock (120 ml), warm
- ¼ tsp saffron powder
- 3,5 oz green olives (100 g)
- ½ preserved lemon sliced
- a handful fresh cilantro chopped
- olive oil
- nutmeg
- pepper
- salt
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Dice the chicken. Pour a little olive oil in a medium non-stick pan and then place this over high heat.
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Once the oil is hot, add the diced chicken. Brown them quickly for a couple of minutes on all sides.
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Then transfer the chicken on a plate and turn the heat to medium. Let the hot oil in the pan cool down a little. Then add the sliced onion and garlic to the pan.
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Stir fry the onion and garlic for 3 minutes until lightly browned. Don’t burn it! Then add the chili powder, turmeric, grated ginger, curcuma, star anise, some freshly grated nutmeg and bay leaves.
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Stir again and cook for another minute. Then add the preserved lemon and the green olives.
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Stir well. Then add the browned chicken back to the pan. Also pour in the warm chicken stock and sprinkle with the saffron powder. Season with pepper and salt.
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Simmer the chicken over medium-low heat for 20 minutes. The sauce should have reduced by half by then. In the meantime prepare the couscous.
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Stir in half of the chopped cilantro. Then check the seasoning and add extra pepper or salt to taste. Scoop the fresh couscous onto plates and top with the Moroccan chicken. Garnish with the rest of the fresh cilantro. Serve hot.
