Chicken with Olives, Lemon and Chickpeas

Chicken with Olives, Lemon and Chickpeas is a twist on a classic Moroccan tagine. Browned chicken pieces slowly braised in a tangy spiced sauce with olives and preserved (or fresh) lemon plus chickpeas makes a satisfying, delicious stew. Serve with bread or rice and salad or, my favourite, couscous tossed through roasted vegetables.

Disclosure: this post may contain affiliate links. If you buy via my links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Jump to Recipe

My rich, spicy and tangy recipe for Chicken with Olives, Lemon and Chickpeas is inspired by Moroccan tagines. These are stews, often containing chicken or lamb, which take their name from the conical-lidded pots they’re traditionally cooked in. The idea is that the tall lids allow condensation to fall back into the base, keeping the stew moist as it slowly braises. But don’t worry if, like me, you don’t have a tagine pot. I’ve found that an ordinary lidded casserole works fine.

Chicken with olives and lemon is a classic tagine. But I give it a twist with the addition of chickpeas. The nutty pulses not only stretch the meat further but also become the vehicle for soaking up more of the delicious spicy sauce. I love it served with roasted veg like peppers, onions, and aubergines tossed through couscous. A real feast with a dollop of thick yogurt on the side.

CHICKEN WITH OLIVES, LEMON AND CHICKPEAS

You’ll find ingredient amounts and full instructions in the recipe card at the end. But I recommend you read the whole of this post first for extra tips and step-by-step instructions.

I make my Chicken with Olives, Lemon and Chickpeas with large bone-in, skin-on free-range chicken thighs. These have good flavour and become wonderfully tender without drying out as they slowly simmer. You could use other chicken cuts e.g. a mixture of thighs and drumsticks, or skinless/boneless thighs or breasts. Note that you will probably need to reduce the cooking time for boneless chicken.

The lemon in traditional chicken with olives and lemon is preserved lemon. These are lemons (often small, thin-skinned varieties) which have been pickled in brine and lemon juice. The result is exceptionally lemony and tangy, but without the harsh bitterness of fresh lemon. As well as specialist shops and online (affiliate link), jars of preserved lemons are now widely available in large supermarkets. If you don’t have them, very thinly sliced fresh lemon can be substituted, albeit with a slightly different result.

OTHER INGREDIENTS

Besides the chicken, lemon, plus green and/or black olives, cooked chickpeas, salt and pepper, the remaining ingredients you’ll need are as follows.

• Olive oil. For sautéing.
• Onions and garlic. These form the base of the sauce.
• Spices. Ground ginger, cinnamon, cumin, and paprika. For a little heat, I include Aleppo pepper flakes, but any hot or mild chilli flakes can be used.
• Saffron (optional). You only need a pinch to add its distinctive flavour. If you don’t have it, half a teaspoon of ground turmeric can be used; this won’t have the same taste but does give a hint of the yellow colour that saffron brings.
• Tomato puree. Adds background savouriness.
• Chicken stock. I used 2 cubes dissolved in 400 ml of boiling water.
• Sweetener. A little to balance the spices. I’ve used pomegranate molasses (affiliate link) but honey or any sweetener can be used. Or leave out.
• Coriander, parsley, or a combination. Adds grassy freshness.
• Lemon juice. Just a squeeze near the end for bright lemon flavour.

HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN WITH OLIVES, LEMON AND CHICKPEAS

Depending on the cut you use, the chicken will need roughly 35 – 45  minutes to get tender. However, most of that is hands-off time. Full instructions are in the recipe card but, briefly, this is how you make my Chicken with Olives, Lemon and Chickpeas. It really is very easy to get a great result.

If you’re including saffron, the first thing to do is put a large pinch in a small heatproof container. Add just enough boiling water to cover, stir, then set aside to infuse.

Sauté

Season the chicken pieces with a little salt and pepper and brown them in hot olive oil. If you have a shallow casserole dish rather than a deep one this will make browning easier as less steam is trapped. I use this brilliant casserole/braiser (affiliate link) which is the perfect size for this dish. Try to achieve good colour on the chicken and if it’s skin-on get it as crispy as possible without burning.

Remove the chicken, reduce the heat to medium, put in the onions and garlic, then sauté until softening. All the spices go in next, along with the tomato puree. Stir around for about 2 minutes to bring out the flavours. Tip: the amounts of spice in the recipe card can be halved for a milder taste.

Braise

Now add the saffron and its soaking liquor plus most of the stock; I hold back some stock in case I want to thin the stew later. If using a sweetener, add that too, plus the drained chickpeas and half your coriander and/or parsley. Bring up to a simmer, put the browned chicken on top of the stew, then pop on a lid.

While you could cook it on top of the stove, I prefer to transfer to an oven preheated to the temperature given in the recipe card. I think this gives more even cooking as well as making it less likely that anything sticks to the bottom of the pot.

How long your chicken takes to get tender will depend on the cut you’ve used and the size of the pieces. My large bone-in thighs take around 45 minutes. If you have a thermometer, it’s worth knowing that although chicken is safe to eat when it reaches 74°C (165°F), the texture of thighs (and drumsticks) are much nicer if cooked to a higher temperature.

Final touches

The lemon goes in next. If using preserved ones, it’s usual to discard the inner pulp plus any pips and just chop or shred the peel. For fresh lemon, slice very thinly. Add the olives at the same time (left whole or halved/sliced if preferred) along with most of the remaining coriander or parsley.

The stew now needs another 10 – 15 minutes for the flavours to meld. You can put it back in the oven, although I finish it on top of the stove so I can increase the oven temperature to finish roasting vegetables for the accompanying couscous.

Either way, if the sauce is too thin or there’s too much of it you can bubble with the lid off. On the other hand, if it looks too thick then stir in a little more stock.

Because I like crispy chicken skin, I finish the dish under a hot grill for a few minutes. All that’s left to do then is taste and check the seasoning, add a squeeze of fresh lemon and a final sprinkle of fresh herb.

SERVING CHICKEN WITH OLIVES, LEMON AND CHICKPEAS

I almost always eat tagine with couscous, preferably wholewheat, to soak up the sauce. And tossing the couscous with roasted vegetables like hunks of red and yellow pepper, red onion, and aubergine, means you’ve a complete meal. Try seasoning the veg with a little of the same spices used in the stew plus slivers of garlic. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast until nicely charred. For the final couple of minutes, I stir in the soaked couscous so it gets imbued with all the flavours too.

A dollop of thick yogurt, a sprinkle of herbs and Aleppo pepper, and I think Chicken with Olives, Lemon and Chickpeas becomes a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach.

If you don’t like couscous, you can serve with rice or bread; my impressive-looking but easy Turkish Pide Flatbread would be perfect. If you’ve leftovers, the stew can stored covered in the fridge for 2 days. Or it can be frozen. To reheat evenly without drying out the meat, I first cut the chicken into pieces and stir into the stew. Reheat in a microwave or gently saucepan, adding a splash of water or stock if it looks dry.

I think my twist on a classic Moroccan tagine is delicious and satisfying. And much easier than its lovely flavour and appetising appearance might suggest!

If you made this recipe, I’d love to know what you thought. Please do leave a comment and rating.

5 from 2 votes

Print

Chicken with Olives, Lemon and Chickpeas

A twist on a classic Moroccan tagine. Browned chicken pieces slowly braised in a tangy spiced sauce with olives and preserved (or fresh) lemon plus chickpeas makes a satisfying, delicious stew. Serve with bread or rice and salad or couscous tossed through roasted vegetables.

It's recommended that you read the accompanying blog post before starting the recipe.

Course Main Course, Stew

Cuisine Middle Eastern, North African, Moroccan

Keyword stew, casserole, tagine

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 25 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Servings 4

Author Moorlands Eater

Ingredients

• 1 large pinch saffron threads (optional: see Recipe Notes for alternative)
• 4 chicken thighs: bone-in, skin-on or off (see Recipe Notes for alternative cuts)
• salt and black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion (roughly chopped)
• 6 cloves garlic (finely chopped or thinly sliced)
• 2 level tsp ground ginger (for a milder flavour, this and the other spices can be halved)
• 2 level tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 level tsp ground cumin
• 2 level tsp paprika
• 1 - 2 level tsp Aleppo pepper or chilli flakes
• 1 rounded tbsp tomato puree
• 400 ml chicken stock
• 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses, honey or other sweetener (can be increased/decreased/left out depending on preference)
• 240 g cooked chickpeas (approx. 1 standard tin, drained)
• 1 medium bunch coriander, parsley, or a combination (roughly chopped)
• 20 pitted olives (green, black, or a mixture)
• 2 small preserved lemons (or half a fresh lemon)
• ½ a lemon (juice only)

Instructions

1. Put the saffron threads in a small heatproof container and pour over just enough boiling water to cover. Stir and set aside.

2. Preheat your oven to 180°C /160°Fan /Gas 4 /350° F with a shelf in the middle.

   Alternative: the dish can be cooked entirely on top of the stove if preferred.

3. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

   Put the olive oil in a casserole dish (preferably on the shallow side as this traps less steam) over medium-high heat.

   When hot add the chicken, skin side down, and cook until golden brown and crispy then turn and cook the other side for a few minutes.

   Remove the chicken and set aside.

4. Turn the heat down to medium and add the onions and garlic seasoned with a little salt and pepper.

   Cook until the onions are starting to colour and soften.

5. Stir in the ginger, cinnamon, cumin, paprika, and Aleppo pepper or chilli flakes, plus the tomato puree. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

6. Add the saffron and its soaking water along with 350 ml of the stock, the honey, pomegranate molasses or other sweetener and stir to thoroughly combine. Add the chickpeas, plus HALF of the chopped herb. Simmer for 2 minutes then add the browned chicken.

   Simmer for 1 minute more, take off the heat and put on a lid.

7. Transfer the casserole to the preheated oven and cook, stirring occasionally to ensure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the dish, until the chicken is tender (approx. 45 minutes for large bone-in thighs).

   Tip: if you have a thermometer the meat should be at least 74°C/165°F to be safely cooked, however the texture of thighs or drumsticks will be nicer if cooked longer.

8. Cut the preserved lemons in half, discard the pulp and any pips. Chop or thinly slice the skin and add to the casserole along with the olives (halved or sliced if liked) and most of the remaining coriander or parsley. If using fresh lemon slices instead of preserved lemon, slice thinly and add those now.

9. Return to the oven (or finish on top of the stove) for another 10 - 15 minutes.

   Tip: to thicken the sauce, bubble with the lid off for a few minutes. If it seems too thick add more stock.

10. Taste the sauce and add more salt and pepper if needed.

    Stir in the lemon juice and serve with coriander or parsley sprinkled over.

    Tip: if you used skin-on chicken, you can re-crisp it by placing the casserole under a hot grill for a few minutes.

11. Can be stored for 2 days in the fridge or frozen.

    Reheat in a microwave or on top of the stove. Chicken is best taken off the bone, cut into pieces and reheated in the sauce. Add a splash of water to the sauce if it looks dry.

Recipe Notes

Saffron. If you don't have saffron, half a teaspoon of ground turmeric can be added at the same time as the other spices. The flavour won't be the same, but it will impart a similar yellow tint.

Chicken. If preferred, a mixture of thighs and drumsticks can be used, or boneless thighs or breasts. Note that the cooking time is likely to be less for boneless chicken, so check to avoid overcooked, dry meat.

RELATED RECIPES