Chicken Tagine with Olives and Preserved Lemons

Ingredients

• 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 chicken, cut in 8 to 10 pieces
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 medium onions, sliced thin
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 8 calamata olives, pitted and halved
• 8 cracked green olives, pitted and halved
• 1 large or 3 small preserved lemons (sold in speciality food shops)
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 glass of white wine
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

Procedure

1. Mix garlic, saffron, ginger, paprika, cumin and turmeric together, and add ½ teaspoon salt. Add pepper to taste. Rub chicken with mixture, cover, refrigerate and marinate 3 to 4 hours.
2. Heat oil in heavy skillet. Add chicken, and brown on all sides. Remove to platter.
3. Add onions to skillet, and cook over medium-low heat about 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer to tagine, if you are using one, or leave in skillet. Add cinnamon stick.
4. Put chicken on onions. Scatter with olives. Quarter the lemons, remove pulp and cut skin in strips. Scatter over chicken. Mix stock and lemon juice. Pour over chicken.
5. Cover tagine or skillet. Place over low heat, and cook about 30 minutes, until chicken is done. Scatter parsley on top, and serve.