Moroccan Chicken Tagine
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Chicken tagine is a traditional Moroccan dish of chicken pieces braised with spices, garlic, onion, olives, and preserved lemons. It’s company-worthy yet easy to throw together.
Chicken tagine is a traditional Moroccan dish of chicken braised with spices, garlic, onion, olives, and preserved lemons. It’s a company-worthy dish yet easy enough to throw together on a not-too-busy weeknight. The word tagine refers to the shallow clay vessel with a cone-shaped lid in which the dish is traditionally cooked, but you don’t need one to make it. I use a large cast-iron braiser; a wide Dutch oven or heavy covered skillet will work, too. This recipe, tweaked a bit from Cook’s Illustrated, does not call for preserved lemons, a specialty ingredient that can be difficult to find. Instead, lemon zest and fresh lemon juice add tart brightness to the dish. Serve the chicken on a platter or individual plates over a bed of couscous.
What you’ll need To Make Chicken Tagine
While you can use a whole cut-up chicken for chicken tagine, my preference is to use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs only, similar to my coq au vin recipe. The thighs provide a good amount of meat and remain tender even if slightly overcooked, and the bones and skin add depth of flavor and richness to the sauce (though the skin is removed midway through cooking). Sometimes, I pull the meat off the bone before serving — makes it easier and more appealing for the kids to eat — but serving the chicken on the bone is traditional.
How To Make Chicken Tagine
To begin, combine the spices in small bowl.
Mix well and set aside.
Zest the lemon. Combine 1 teaspoon of the lemon zest with 1 minced garlic clove; set aside.
Season both sides of chicken pieces with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat until beginning to smoke. Brown the chicken pieces skin side down in single layer until deep golden, about 5 minutes.
Using tongs, flip the chicken pieces over and brown the other side, about 4 minutes more. 
Transfer the chicken to a large plate; when cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and discard.
Pour off and discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan, reduce the heat to medium, and add the onion.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until they have browned at the edges but still retain their shape, 5 to 7 minutes (add a few tablespoons of water if the pan gets too dark).
Add the remaining minced garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the spices and flour.
Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Stir in the broth, honey, remaining lemon zest, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits.
Add the chicken (with any accumulated juices) back in, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Scatter the carrots around the chicken, cover, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the carrots are tender-crisp, about 10 minutes more.
Add the olives, garlic-zest mixture, cilantro, and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice.
Stir to combine and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice, if desired.
Serve with couscous.
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Moroccan Chicken Tagine
Chicken tagine is a traditional Moroccan dish of chicken pieces braised with spices, garlic, onion, olives, and preserved lemons. It’s company-worthy yet easy to throw together.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 lemon
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 4 pounds), trimmed of excess skin and fat (see note)
- Salt and ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, halved and cut into ¼-in-thick slices
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1¾ cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 large or 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut crosswise into ½-inch-thick coins
- ½ cup Greek cracked green olives, pitted and halved (see note)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Combine the spices in a small bowl and set aside. Zest the lemon. Combine 1 teaspoon of the lemon zest with 1 minced garlic clove; set aside.
- Season both sides of chicken pieces with 2 teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or pan over medium-high heat until beginning to smoke. Brown the chicken pieces skin side down in single layer until deep golden, about 5 minutes; using tongs, flip the chicken pieces over and brown the other side, about 4 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a large plate; when cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and discard. Pour off and discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until they have browned at the edges but still retain their shape, 5 to 7 minutes (add a few tablespoons of water now and then if the pan gets too dark). Add the remaining minced garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the spices and flour and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the broth, honey, remaining lemon zest, and ¼ teaspoon salt, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Add the chicken (with any accumulated juices) back in, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the carrots, cover, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the carrots are tender-crisp, about 10 minutes more.
- Stir in the olives, reserved lemon zest-garlic mixture, cilantro, and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice; taste the sauce and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice, if desired. Serve with couscous.
- Note: Don't fret too much over trimming the chicken thighs. The skin gets removed midway through the cooking process and most of the fat will cook off and get drained. I usually just take kitchen shears and quickly snip off any excess skin or fat. Cracked green olives are olives that have been ‘cracked’ or split open before curing, allowing the brine or marinade to penetrate. You can find them in your supermarket’s olive bar, or substitute any green olive that you like.
- Make-Ahead: After you have completed the step of cooking the carrots, the dish can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. To serve, gently warm on the stove until the chicken is heated through, then proceed to the step where the olives and remaining ingredients are added.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 chicken thigh
- Calories: 367
- Fat: 13 g
- Saturated fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Sugar: 7 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 47 g
- Sodium: 794 mg
- Cholesterol: 215 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I can’t wait to make this dish it sounds fantastic! I don’t see the preserved lemon anywhere in the main recipe also can I use chicken breast or would that be too dry? Love all your recipes 🩵
Hi Ali, This version is made with lemon instead of preserved lemons. It’s fine to use bone-in breasts but watch the cooking time – they are easy to overcook. Hope you enjoy!
If I use my slow cooker, how long on low? And can I put all ingredients in at the beginning?
Hi Jo, Based on the number of steps that need to be done on the stovetop, I don’t think it would make a lot of sense for this to be cooked in a slow cooker. Sorry!
This looks so great! My husband is unfortunately olive-averse… was thinking I’d just swap them out for capers instead to get the tang – would you recommend?
Thanks! 🙂
Yup, that sounds like a good swap!
Love love love this recipe!
I used chicken drumsticks as that’s what I had. Just amazing, wonderful flavours. Definitely added to our favourites.
This was such an amazing dish….better than the tagines we had in Morocco! Such a delicious well balanced gravy….and loved the heat! I served on cauliflower rice to lighten the dish a bit for summer, but this is definitely going into the ‘best’ category for future dinners.
Well done! Thank you!
Beautiful dish!! The flavours are so well balanced. Served on cauliflower rice. Can’t wait for the leftovers.
The sauce is incredible! I used chicken breasts and the meat was a bit dry. I’ll make it again using chicken thighs as per your recipe.
This tastes amazing! The whole family loved it.
Wow wee do I love this recipe!!! I have made it a couple times, the latest I was traveling and didn’t have the right spices or lemon, so I added a jar of Mina tagine sauce to the broth and honey, and it was incredible as well! I rarely use prepared sauces preferring the fresh, but that brand was worthy in a pinch. I have made this with bone-in and boneless thighs, both work well. Thank you so much for this recipe, it’s a show stopper!
I do not generally cook chicken thighs but my husband brought some home and I searched for a recipe this morning. I love all recipes by Jenn- never had a fail. And this was no exception. Absolutely delicious !!! My husband and son loved it. I would have licked the plate if there was anything left. Thank you! Can’t wait to make it again.
This was a fantastic dish! The flavors were so warm and comforting and all worked so well together.
My wife Nancy took her new tagine for a spin.
Amazing flavour!
Another delicious recipe! Made it for a dinner party and served with a couscous salad and everyone devoured it. Doubled the recipe and made it in a Dutch oven and a braised to fit all the chicken into the pan. Added extra olives (green and kalamata) which added a nice brininess. Everyone wanted the recipe when they left!
This dish was delicious but next time I will use half the amount of honey as it was a little sweet for my taste
Had friends to supper and everyone was delighted. We found the preserved lemons and used them but otherwise the recipes exactly as suggested. Thanks 😊
I have a tagline that was given to me and I would like to try it in that. Would I follow the same instructions? I’m nervous about cooking in clay!
Hi Carol, I don’t own a tagine and have to admit that don’t know if a tagine can be used on the stove top so, to be safe, I’d recommend sticking with the pan for this. Sorry!
My tagine is ceramic and I’ve use it on the stovetop, gas and electric, with no problem! I’m trying this recipe tomorrow – it looks great!
I followed the recipe. I must admit, I added more honey, since the lemon zest and some ingredients such as cumin, would have given a bitter after taste. I’m happy with the result. Keeping the skins on the chicken thighs or not, was not problematic. I found the chicken would brown faster with the skin on. I got the thumb up from my husband who can be very fussy. I used a cast iron tagine too, a cheap one from Lidl, pleasantly surprised, it did a good job. Thanks for the recipe.
We have a clay tagine and use it over a gas stove BUT with a flame diffuser bought at a foodie cooking store. It’s fun to cook in and makes for a great dinner party.
Just made tonight and it was absolutely delicious! I would like to triple the recipe next time and wondered if after browning the chicken, could I put it in the oven to cook?
Glad you liked it! Yes, you can finish cooking it in the oven after you’ve browned the chicken.
Can this be cut in half?
Sure!
If I want to make this for Passover seder, what do you suggest I use in place of the flour?
Maybe cornstarch? ( I think I can get away with that in my family!)
Hi Jane, If you want to use cornstarch, you’ll want to wait until the point at which you add the carrots and then make a “slurry” by combining 2T cornstarch with 2T cold water; mix until completely smooth. Whisk half of the slurry into the pan and simmer along with the carrots. If you want the sauce thicker, add the remaining slurry and repeat.
Looks like you browned the chicken, then in your photos you added raw chicken back to the pan????
Yep, that’s correct. The chicken then gets cooked through on the stove.
It’s partially cooked from the browning and finishes cooking in the liquid-y mixture. Standard braising procedure!
Can’t use cornstarch on Passover….use potato starch, always sold on Passover. I use this as a sub for cornstarch all year round.
The fragrance in the kitchen was intoxicating as this simmered! Delicious, and perfect for company, especially for an exotic touch. I didn’t remember to pick up cilantro, but had an abundance of flat-leaf parsley, so I hope that doesn’t significantly change the outcome of flavors blending.
Hi Jane, matzo meal would work well as a substitute for the flour.
Thanks!
WOW!!! One of the best recipes of all time! I made this with skinless chicken thighs and doubled the carrots. It was mouth-watering FANTASTIC . So delicious that there wasn’t a drop of sauce left after the meal. This is the new addition to our meal rotation and an excellent dish to serve guests. Thank you once again, Jenn, for making me look like an expert cook! 😉
Jen,
What type of Greek olive do you use? Kalamata? Or is there a green Greek olive you’d suggest?
Thanks!
Michelle
Hi Michelle, I get the cracked green olives from the olive bar in my supermarket. (Cracked green olives are olives that have been split open before they’re cured, which lets the brine penetrate. If you can’t find them, any green olive will work.
Hi Jenn,
What size braiser did you use for this recipe? Thanks!
Hi Robyn, it’s 3.5 quarts.
This was so-so-so good! I made it exactly as written, and served it with a simple farro/kale combo, with some of the sauce spooned over it. This recipe is a keeper!
Excellent! I used leftover parsnips instead of carrots and forgot to put in the cilantro. Even so it was ablsolutely delightful. Tender & flavorful. Would be a tasty & easy dish to serve guests.
Thanks!
In the description, it says with preserved lemons but in the recipe, you are calling for a regular lemon and the zest (no way to zest a preserved lemon!). How would you incorporate the preserved lemon? This recipe looks great!
Hi Sheila, I’d omit the lemon zest and juice, and use the thinly sliced rind of one preserved lemon. Hope you enjoy!
This was delicious. My husband and I loved it. My boys were luke warm. I added lots more carrots and onions. Think it would be great to simmer longer. Served over Couscous with naan.
This recipe is so good! I used boneless thighs and served it with warmed pita bread. Also served it with basmati rice, simply delicious!
Our guests said it incredible! We had Moroccan night so we kind up amped it up but the entree was a real winner!
Delicious, easy to make. I’ve served this to company twice now and everyone loved it. I used boneless skinless thighs and garlic infused olive oil instead of fresh garlic and added more carrots (double at least). I make it in the mid afternoon so it can braise for a long time and it’s luscious.
Hello,
Almost finished making the Moroccan Chicken Tagine – tomorrow I’ll be adding the olives, etc. Question: the sauce is now the consistency of the chicken broth. Is that correct? Shouldn’t it be a little thicker? Should I add more flour like I would for gravy?
When you serve the chicken with the couscous, do you pour some of the gravy over the couscous? I may be old, but I like to cook and try new recipes (this is a new recipe for me).
Thank you.
Hi Felicia, I may be weighing in too late to help but if you haven’t served it yet, yes, the gravy should be thicker. You can thicken it up with a flour/butter mixture like this recipe uses.
And yes, feel free to spoon some of the gravy onto the couscous. Hope you enjoy/enjoyed!
this recipe was perfect i used boneless breast with skin on
This was delicious I made it with both chicken breasts and thighs in a Dutch oven. My family loved it too! My husband likes tagine with lamb (he is not a big chicken fan), so he asked me if I could make it with lamb next time. Would this recipe work with lamb?
Hi Kathy, So glad you liked it! I do think this would work with lamb; just keep in mind it will likely take longer to cook. Enjoy!
This was fantastic and I cannot wait to make it again. My wife doesn’t love dark meat, do you think I can get away with bone-in skin on chicken breast for next time?
Glad you enjoyed it! you can use bone-in chicken breasts (cut the breasts in half before cooking). When you add the chicken back to the pan, reduce the cooking time by about 5 minutes. Please LMK how it turns out with breasts!
Perhaps the best chicken tagine recipe ever. I improvised in one aspect. For the broth – use roasted chicken bone broth and use more than called for, so that when the tagine is on its last ten minutes of simmering, remove the amount of broth you need for the couscous. This makes the couscous especially tasty.
I am not the best poultry/meat cooker – more of a veggie person and baker. However, I made this dish tonight and it was spectacular. I stuck to all the instructions but I wanted to make sure I didn’t overcook the chicken. I cooked everything according to the instructions until I needed to simmer the chicken 10 mins before adding the carrots. I put it in the fridge while guests arrived and mingled and 30 minutes before serving I brought it to a simmer, added the lemon and garlic zest, cilantro and olives and the cooked on low heat for another 10 minutes. Such fresh and wonderful flavors- thank you so muchl
This is fabulous Jenn!! I ran out of carrot so I subbed in dried figs and fresh cranberries! Finished in the oven covered! Delish!!
Can I freeze this and so make ahead for a party?
Hi Sarah, yes it should freeze well. Enjoy!
So tasty, followed the recipe almost exactly but half the quantities as was for two people. Used Italian parsley instead of the cilantro (my wife doesn’t like it) and added a few blobs of natural yoghurt to garnish/finish it.
Best dish gets compliments from all guests, the smells, taste and the warm spice deck is killer. Love the flavor layering and the vegetables make it a healthy food. Love the single pot cooking style. The spice deck is also very easy to modify depending upon taste and spice level desired.
This is one on my best dishes, it always impresses my family as well as guests. The warm spice deck coupled with the flavors developed in the pot are just wonderful. I sometimes make with and without skin and it turns out great. I will change the spice deck from time to time to get more flavor on one spice or another. I am amazed how the onions almost disappear depending on how I chop them, but the carrots are always a hit although the cook times vary depending on thickness of carrots. Keep these coming this is a 5 star dish
Made this with bone in chicken breasts. I did the first part in an Dutch oven browning the chicken and then the onions. I did the second part carrots, sweet potatoes and white potatoes in an Emile Henry Tangine for 60 minutes at 325. Wow, this was so delicious thank you for the wonderful recipes.
Hi, would it be possible to add potatoes along with the carrots?
If so what adjustments if any would be needed? Thanks
Hi Adris, I think you can add some diced potatoes without any other modifications. I’d love to hear how it turns out with the addition of potatoes!
Thank you so much for this recipe! Not only it became a regular dish at my home, but also my favourite one! I have just come back from Morocco and you should see my disappointed face when I realized that none of the tagines I tried there beats your recipe 🙂
Excellent. Used boneless thighs and served over couscous.
Delicious. Served over rice.
Jen, I’ve made this several times because we absolutely love it! I typically add dried fruits (raisins, prunes, apricots, dried cherries- whatever I have open) I use kosher chicken cut-up pieces and never add salt, and always use quinoa flour instead of the flour. Scrumptious!!! Friends and family always love this and I refer them to your wonderful recipes. Thank you for sharing these with us. You are a fabulous chef!
💗
This tagine is delicious! We had it with brown rice and peas. Made it for my Mum’s bday and she loved it. 10/10 will make again :))
Did it take a long time to cook the thighs?
Very tasty recipe!
I doubled the spices and garlic. I also cooked the chicken at the browning stage three times as long as directed.
Next time I will use half the honey.
Have made this for friends & family 3 times now – keeps getting better and better! Love it! I add celery, red peppers and olives. If anyone has ideas of different ingredients to add let me know! Love exploring new flavour combos!
I like both smoked meat and Moroccan food. Once I found this recipe, I decided to combine the two. Prior to smoking the chicken, I brined it the night before in a cup of Kosher salt (about 14 hours). I put the chicken on the smoker (I used apple wood for the smoke and did not rub the chicken with any spices) until internal temperature got to 165F. The smoker was set between 225-250F and it took a little over four hours to get the chicken to 165F. Once I pulled the chicken off, and while it was resting, I began Jenn’s recipe at the sautéing the onions step. While the onions were cooking, I cut up the chicken. From there, I followed it per the directions. It was a wonderful blend of both juicy smoked chicken and spices. This came out fantastic and I will definitely make it again!
Thanks so much Jenn for the great recipe!
Wanted chicken dish for family weekend meal, cooked this dish today, is delicious! My family love it! I followed the full recipe, not adding or taking out, perfect recipe, very easy to follow, not time consuming, we love spices and cilantro in chicken/meats dishes. Definitely cook this dish again, Thank you very much!