From the Kitchen: Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Mushrooms, Lemon & Olives
Cinnamon in a chicken dish? Along with cumin, coriander, turmeric, lemon juice, and green olives?
I'll admit, that's not a combination I would ordinarily think to put together!
But those ingredients are part of what makes Moroccan cuisine so interesting. The combination of warm spices, savory ingredients, and bright citrus flavors creates something quite different from the dishes I'm accustomed to preparing.
For this recipe, I decided to try Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Mushrooms, Lemon & Olives.
First, a little background.
A tagine is both a traditional North African dish and the name of the distinctive clay cooking vessel in which it's prepared. The pot has a wide, shallow base and a tall, cone-shaped lid that helps circulate moisture as the food cooks.
Fortunately, you don't need a traditional tagine pot to enjoy the dish. My trusty Dutch oven worked beautifully!
As usual, I made a few adjustments to suit my preferences. I used boneless chicken breasts, added plenty of fresh baby bella mushrooms, and thickened the sauce slightly with cornstarch.
And because I apparently don't know how to cook for just one person, I started with FOUR POUNDS of chicken! 😂
Needless to say, I ended up with an enormous amount of food. I've reduced the recipe below to a single batch, which should be much more manageable for most households.
So, how did it turn out?
I really liked it!
It didn't quite surpass my Hungarian Chicken Paprikash, which has become a favorite, but the two dishes have completely different flavor profiles.
The Moroccan Chicken Tagine was savory, warmly spiced, and pleasantly brightened by the lemon juice. The mushrooms were a wonderful addition, and the green olives contributed just enough of their distinctive flavor without overpowering the dish.
It's definitely worthy of a place in my recipe collection!
Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Mushrooms, Lemon & Olives
A Moroccan-inspired chicken dish featuring tender chicken, mushrooms, green olives, warm spices, and a lightly thickened lemon sauce.
Ingredients
Chicken & Vegetables
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into approximately 2-inch pieces
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 large onion, diced
8 oz fresh mushrooms, thickly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced, or 2 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger, or 1 tsp ground ginger
Spices
1½ tsp ground cumin
1½ tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp sweet paprika
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of cayenne pepper, optional
Sauce & Finishing Ingredients
1 cup chicken broth
¼ cup pimiento-stuffed green olives, drained and sliced
2 tsp fresh lemon juice, or to taste
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1½ tsp cornstarch
1½ tsp cold water
Instructions
1. Brown the chicken.
Season the chicken pieces with salt and black pepper.
Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown the chicken for approximately 2 minutes per side.
The chicken doesn't need to be completely cooked at this point.
Remove the chicken from the Dutch oven and set aside.
2. Cook the vegetables.
Add the diced onion and sliced mushrooms to the Dutch oven.
Cook for approximately 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften and the mushrooms release much of their moisture and begin to brown.
3. Add the garlic, ginger, and spices.
Stir in the garlic and ginger, cooking for approximately 30 seconds.
Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, paprika, cinnamon, and optional cayenne pepper.
Stir for another 20–30 seconds, just until the spices become fragrant. Be careful not to burn them.
4. Simmer the chicken.
Pour in the chicken broth, stirring to loosen any browned bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven.
Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pot.
Cover and simmer gently for approximately 10–15 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
5. Add the olives and lemon.
During the final 5 minutes of cooking, stir in the sliced green olives.
Add the fresh lemon juice and taste the sauce. Adjust the salt or lemon juice if necessary.
6. Thicken the sauce.
In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and cold water until smooth.
Stir the slurry into the gently simmering sauce.
Continue cooking for approximately 1–2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly.
The goal is a flavorful, glossy sauce that coats the chicken and mushrooms without becoming overly thick.
If the chicken is already fully cooked, you can remove it temporarily while thickening the sauce to prevent overcooking.
7. Finish with parsley.
Stir in the chopped fresh parsley during the final minute or two of cooking, reserving a little for garnish.
Serve warm with your choice of accompaniment.
What Should You Serve with Moroccan Chicken Tagine?
One of the things I find especially interesting about international cooking is learning how people traditionally enjoy their meals.
In Morocco, tagines are commonly served with khobz, a round Moroccan bread that's used to scoop up the meat, vegetables, and flavorful sauce.
Rather than using a fork to chase every last bite around the plate, pieces of bread can be used to gather the food and soak up the delicious juices.
I can certainly see why that would be a wonderful way to enjoy this dish!
There are several other accompaniments worth considering.
Moroccan Bread (Khobz)
Probably the most traditional choice for serving alongside a tagine. This round, slightly chewy bread is ideal for soaking up the flavorful sauce.
Couscous
Although couscous is traditionally associated with its own Moroccan dishes and isn't necessarily served with every tagine, it makes a delicious accompaniment. Its light, fluffy texture works especially well with saucy chicken dishes.
Rice
A simple serving of white rice or basmati rice would be another excellent option. While not the traditional accompaniment to Moroccan tagine, rice provides a mild base that allows the spices and lemon sauce to shine.
Moroccan-Style Cooked Carrots
Tender carrots seasoned with cumin, garlic, lemon, and parsley would complement the chicken beautifully. They would also add a little color and variety to the meal.
Roasted Potatoes
For those who enjoy a heartier meal, roasted potatoes seasoned with olive oil, garlic, and a little cumin would be delicious alongside the chicken.
What About Lower-Carbohydrate Options?
Since I've been watching my carbohydrate intake, I also considered a couple of alternatives.
Cauliflower rice would provide a mild base for the sauce without adding many carbohydrates.
Hearts of palm rice is another convenient option. I like to sauté it briefly in a little olive oil or butter to remove excess moisture before serving.
Either would work nicely with this recipe.
But if you're not concerned about carbohydrates, I'd certainly encourage you to consider the traditional Moroccan bread or a serving of couscous. Both would be wonderful ways to enjoy the flavorful sauce!
A Few Notes from My Kitchen
You don't need special equipment. Although the dish takes its name from the traditional cooking vessel, a Dutch oven works beautifully.
Chicken breasts worked well. Many Moroccan chicken tagine recipes use bone-in chicken or thighs, but I prefer boneless chicken breasts. Just be careful not to overcook them.
I wouldn't leave out the mushrooms. The mushrooms added wonderful flavor and substance to the dish.
Don't be afraid of the cinnamon. It may sound unusual in a savory chicken recipe, but the small amount blends beautifully with the other spices. It doesn't make the dish taste sweet.
The lemon juice is important. I used 1½ tablespoons in my original double batch. It added a pleasant brightness without making the sauce overly tart.
I preferred a slightly thicker sauce. The sauce was thinner than I wanted, so I added a cornstarch slurry. The finished consistency was much more to my liking.
The olives aren't overwhelming. I'm not someone who gets particularly excited about olives, but the modest amount in this recipe worked very well with the other flavors.
A single batch is plenty! My original preparation used four pounds of chicken, and it made an enormous amount of food. Unless you're feeding a crowd or planning plenty of leftovers, I'd recommend starting with the quantities listed above.
My Final Thoughts
I think one of the greatest pleasures of cooking is discovering that ingredients you wouldn't ordinarily combine can produce something unexpectedly delicious.
This Moroccan Chicken Tagine is a perfect example.
The warm spices, fresh lemon juice, mushrooms, and green olives came together to create a dish that was completely different from anything I've prepared recently.
And while my Hungarian Chicken Paprikash may still hold the top spot among my recent discoveries, this Moroccan-inspired recipe certainly earned its place at my table.
It's flavorful, satisfying, and just different enough to make an ordinary supper feel like something special.
I hope you'll give it a try!
From the Kitchen. From the Farm. From the Heart.
