Chicken Tajine with Preserved Lemons, Fennel, and Olives

When you're preparing a family meal, sometimes it's hard to stray from the usual dishes for these occasions. If you want an original suggestion, Virginia, author of the food blog Sweet&Sour, gives us one for that day that will be economical but very tasty. It's a very special lemon chicken tajine, with preserved lemons.

You know that cooking in a tajine means a juicy, tender result with an explosion of flavors. Virginia gives it her special touch thanks to the lemon, but also to fennel and olives. Don't miss her suggestions!

We're almost at the door of Christmas, and I, at least, without having even started it, am already saturated with typically Christmas recipes, full of nuts, foie gras and large pieces like turkey, salmon, seafood... So here's another proposal much more novel, but not for that less tasty, since it has the Moroccan touch that preserved lemons and spices give it, along with the aniseed note of the fennel. A tajine of Chicken, but not just any, a classic of Moroccan cuisine, which will serve equally well to present at a less conventional Christmas lunch or dinner, or for one of those gatherings with friends where you want to show off with something special, but not expensive.

The Tajine with chicken with preserved lemons and olives, as I've said, is a classic of Moroccan cuisine. And what better way to prepare this classic than by using Emile Henry's ceramic Tajine, which, in addition to cooking the ingredients in their own juices over low heat, lets you bring it to the table in the Tajine itself, retaining heat for a long time and with a presentation of 10.

In fact there are many Tajines that are useful for cooking, but when it comes to presenting them at the table, they fall a bit short. This won't happen to us with the Emile Henry Tajine, because it perfectly combines tradition and modernity. Preserving the traditional shape of the Tajine while introducing modern, contemporary materials and colors that also ensure it can be used on different heat sources without damage.

Let's get on with the recipe which is simple.

Ingredients

• 1 free-range chicken cut into eighths
• 300gr of purple olives
• 1kg of fennel bulbs
• 2 small preserved lemons
• 2 onions (I add Zalla red onions)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 250ml of water
• 1/2 teaspoon of saffron
• 1 teaspoon of powdered ginger or freshly grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon of green anise seeds
• 1 teaspoon of salt (if needed)

Preparation

1. First we cut the chicken into eighths, if the butcher hasn't already done it. We clean the fennel, remove the fronds and cut it first in half and then into quarters. We slice the onion thinly, peel and crush the garlic and finally cut the preserved lemons into quarters.
2. We set our tagine over low heat so it warms up gradually, as if it were a casserole. Add the olive oil and, when it is good and hot, add the chicken pieces to brown. When they are halfway browned, add the sliced onion, the crushed garlic, and a preserved lemon cut into quarters.
3. When everything is nicely browned, we add the 250ml of water (1 cup) around the ingredients, the saffron, the ginger and the anise.
4. We bring to a boil, taste and adjust the salt. If it's too salty we add a little more water, and if it's bland a touch of salt. This has its reason, since preserved lemons are salty by themselves and contribute that salt to the stew.
5. We cover our tajine and let it simmer over low heat for about 35 minutes.
6. After that time we add the fennel, the rest of the preserved lemon and the olives. Cover and let cook for another 20 minutes.
7. Serve hot, accompanied by more olives and preserved lemons.

A simple and very Mediterranean dish, with the Moroccan note that preserved lemons provide, which will surprise your guests because you can't imagine the special and delicious touch that this mix of flavors gives. If you like Moroccan cuisine, this is a dish you must try.

Tips:

- When heating the tagine, do it as if it were a casserole, over low heat until it comes up to temperature. The tagine is a piece of cookware that, with materials and a shape that give it its peculiarities, ends up having characteristics similar to a casserole; keep in mind that in North Africa iron was not exactly abundant, but clay was, affordable and within everyone's reach. With that conical lid, which helps retain heat and return the juices to the stew, it lets you cook foods with practically no water, in their own juices and over low heat. This method gives dishes a special flavor and texture.

- If you have a ceramic hob I recommend using a heat diffuser; I have used this tajine without one and it didn't crack, it's quality and you can tell. It's not simple pottery, but it's a precaution I usually take because I care a lot about it and wouldn't like any surprises.

- You can prepare Moroccan preserved lemons yourselves; I'll give the recipe soon, but if not they are easy to find in Arab or Moroccan-run shops.

- If you can't get them, substitute with the juice of one lemon and the lemon peel boiled three times, discarding the water each time to remove any bitterness. It's not the same, but it will give that subtle lemon aroma that this dish so appreciates. That said, since you won't be adding preserved lemons which are salty, don't forget to add salt to the stew.

- It's important to use purple olives — they are juicier, hold up well during cooking and give a characteristic flavor. Other olives you can use are Greek Kalamata olives; they give a fabulous result.

Enjoy.