Preserved Lemon & Olive Tagine with Chicken Thighs

Ingredients

• 1½ lb Chicken Thighs, bone-in if possible
• 2 onions, sliced thin
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 preserved lemon, pulp scraped out, rind slivered
• ¾ cup green olives, cracked and rinsed
• 3 Potatoes, in large chunks
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• ¾ tsp turmeric
• Large pinch saffron, crumbled into 2 tbsp warm water
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup water or stock
• Handful cilantro and parsley, tied in a bundle
• Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Rub the Chicken Thighs with the garlic, ginger, turmeric, saffron water, pepper, and 2 tbsp of the oil. Let it marinate 20 minutes at room temperature, or overnight in the fridge if you're organized.
2. Spread the onions in the base of a tagine or heavy pot with the remaining oil and set the Chicken Thighs on top. Add the water and the herb bundle, cover, and set over the lowest heat you can manage. Tuck the Potatoes in around the sides where they will sit in the juices.
3. Cook 50–60 minutes without stirring — the onions melt into a sauce beneath while the Chicken Thighs steams above. Poultry is ready at 175°F (79°C) at the bone; lamb should surrender to a spoon.
4. Lift the Chicken Thighs out, discard the herb bundle, and reduce the sauce over medium 8–10 minutes until it is glossy and clings to a spoon. Rinse the olives well — they will otherwise take the dish somewhere too salty to return from.
5. Return the Chicken Thighs, scatter the olives and preserved lemon rind over, warm through 5 minutes, and serve with bread rather than a fork.