Chicken Tagine

Ingredients:

· 1 cinnamon stick or 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon*

· 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, roughly crushed

· 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

· 1 teaspoon paprika

· 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

· ¼ teaspoon whole cloves or 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves*

· 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for frying

· 4 cloves garlic, sliced

· 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

· ½ cup cilantro, chopped

· 2 bay leaves

· 2 pounds chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1” pieces

· 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

· ½ - 1 preserved lemon, depending on size and strength, chopped

· ½ cup green olives

· ¼ cup dried fruit, such as currants or apricots

· 1 cup chicken stock

· Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. In a tagine or dutch oven over medium heat, toast the cinnamon, peppercorns, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes and cloves until they are fragrant and toasted. Remove from the heat and grind in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.

2. In a bowl, add 3T oil, spices, garlic, ginger, cilantro and bay leaves. Mix, divide in half, reserving half for later.

3. In a large bowl, toss chicken to coat with the other ½ of the marinade and let rest for 20 minutes to overnight.

4. In a tagine or dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Brown chicken on both sides. Remove to a plate.

5. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add preserved lemon, reserved marinade, olives, chicken and chicken stock. Cover and cook over medium low heat for 15-20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Serve with couscous, rice or quinoa and enjoy!

*If you don’t have a spice grinder, don’t worry! Just use the ground spices instead.