La Maison Arabe Chicken Tajine

I spent five days in beautiful Marrakech in March - the city blew me away. I have wanted to go for years and when the opportunity arose I grabbed it. The colours, the smells, the flavours are all out of this world. We had a guided tour of the souks, spent time in spice shops and lessons in how to use all the wonderful herbs and spices. We had the most amazing meals - simple but with so much flavour. We took a cooking class at the magnificent hotel La Maison Arabe where they taught us the art to making mint tea, that couscous takes three hours and how to make a delicious chicken tajine with just four spices. Marrakech is only three hours on a flight but it was like walking into another world. The food is all about sharing and living as a community. I shall return and in the meantime I will try and recreate the dishes I loved while we were there. 

Serves 6 

Ingredients 

1.5kg whole chicken cut into chunks

1 1/2 red onion finely chopped

1 1/2 preserved lemon

20 purple or green olives

5 garlic cloves diced

3 tbsp chopped parsley

3 tbsp chopped coriander

6 tbsp olive oil

5 cloves garlic

Water

Spices

1/2 heaped tsp ground/white pepper

3 tsp ginger powder

3 tsp turmeric powder

2 pinches of saffron

Method

1. Cut the preserved lemon in half and separate the flesh from the peel. Set aside and finely chop the preserved lemon pulp. 

2. Place the chopped lemon pulp in a caste iron pot. Add the olive oil, garlic, parsley, coriander, all the spices and 1 cups of cold water. Mix well. 

3. Add the chicken pieces to the pot bad pierce them with a shape knife so that they absorb the spices. Mix all the ingredients until the chicken pieces are well coated with the marinade. 

4. Add the finely chopped onion to the pot and mix well. 

5. On a low heat sear the chicken pieces for 20 mins. The lid should be on to keep the moisture in, otherwise the chicken pieces will dry out and stick to the bottom of the pot. Turn chicken over and add water if needed.

6. After 15 minutes, add 1 cup of cold water, increase the heat to medium, cover the pot and bring to the boil. Cook, covered, for 30 mins or until the chicken is done. Check on the chicken from time to time and add water so the meat does not burn. 

7. Once the chicken is done, taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning. 

8. Add the lemon peel and olives to the dish. Leave to sit for 10 mins.

Serve hot with couscous or crusty bread.