Sep 27, 2012

Djej Besla - Chicken and Onion Tagine

Onions stew until soft and sweet in this satisfying one-pot chicken dish flavored with saffron, turmeric, lemon, and olives. This recipe first appeared in our November 2011 issue along with Dana Bowen's story Roots of Flavor.

Credit: Todd Coleman

SERVES 4�6

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 tsp. cumin seeds, crushed
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. ground turmeric
5 tbsp. olive oil
4 skinless bone-in chicken thighs
4 skinless bone-in chicken drumsticks
1 tsp. crushed saffron threads
4 medium yellow onions, cut into 12 wedges each
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 lemon, thinly sliced crosswise, seeds removed
1¼ cups pitted green olives
⅓ cup finely chopped cilantro
Cooked white rice, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Make a spice paste: Using the flat side of your knife, chop and mash salt and garlic together on a cutting board into a smooth paste; transfer paste to a large bowl and stir in cumin, paprika, and turmeric. Stir in 3 tbsp. oil, and then add chicken thighs and drumsticks; toss until evenly coated. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 hours.

2. Heat remaining oil in an 8-qt. Dutch oven or large tagine over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add chicken pieces, and cook, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 10 minutes; transfer to a plate and set aside. Add saffron and onions to pot, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 15 minutes. Return chicken to pot along with lemon slices and 1 cup water, and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, covered, until chicken is cooked through, about 40 minutes. Remove from heat, and scatter olives and cilantro over chicken; serve with rice.

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #142

Subscribe now

Ratings & Reviews (18)

by SALESGIRL on 2011-11-01

by MONOPOD on 2011-11-02

Just curious why the picture shows the dish on an oven sheet, when it's cooked in a pot. The picture makes it appear that it was oven roasted, not simmered.

by LEILAROBERTS on 2011-11-02

This is a reasonable approximation, but I must chime in on three things. (1) cous cous is so easy to get, now, that there's no excuse for serving this on white rice--blech! (2) the recipe is missing the powdered ginger--1 tsp, and (3) preserved instead of fresh lemons really do the trick if you can get them. I've seen them in specialty stores, and have also bought them here--http://www.zamourispices.com/moprle.html. I also don't think it's necessary to pit the green olives--it's kind of fun to slow down to eat the sour-salty, broth-flavoured flesh around the pit. It's also worth putting the olives in 10 minutes before the tagine is done. Remember not to over-salt before you do that.

by CMDRZEWIECKI on 2011-11-05

I agree with Leila - pitting the olives was tedious, and I gave up on it halfway through. Olives with pits ended up feeling more "authentic," anyway.

My only nitpick with this dish - which has amazingly tender chicken, good saltiness, rich spices - is the inclusion of those danged lemons! I plan on re-making this, and trying Leila's suggestion of using preserved lemons. Failing that, I'm employing my microplaner to use the zest only, plus juice, rather than whole lemon slices. The dish was almost unpleasantly bitter due to the taste of the lemon pith, and I couldn't come up with a good way of minimizing it. If anyone has a suggestion, I'm all ears - this dish has a ton of potential.

by MONOPOD on 2011-11-06

@CMDRZEWIECKI: I've had the same problem with overly bitter lemons in tagines before. The issue is that the large lemons at most American supermarkets have an incredibly thick skin/rind (presumably because they last longer on the shelf), which throws the skin-to-pulp ratio way off. Instead of the typical large lemons, look for smaller, rounder specimens with thinner skin - I find that the organic lemons are often this variety. Then, slice them very thinly for this recipe (like 1/8 inch), and don't use the end pieces that are nothing but skin. If you do that, the lemon flavor is balanced and the slices become soft and rich enough to eat - in fact, they're now my favorite part. Same goes for when you make a shaker lemon pie (which includes the skin), for what it's worth.

Great recipe! I'm making it today for the second time this week.

by XTIAN on 2011-11-06

I really enjoyed this recipe. I would recommend marinating the chicken overnight to further develop the flavors of the dish. I also modified the spices a bit (using roughly 1.5 times more than called for to suit my taste). The dish was the perfect early-fall type of thing to enjoy in front of a cozy fire. As to those who are frustrated by having to pit several olives, Whole Foods (and any other upscale grocer, for that matter) sells green olives already pitted. If you don't live in an area close to a Whole Foods market or similar, I would suggest a good quality canned olive as a substitute.

by rmc2 on 2011-11-08

I made this dish for Sunday dinner and served it with white rice. It's fairly good but nothing like a "wow, I should definitely make this again." However, I think it might turn out close to a "wow" if the following is done: (1) marinate overnight (which is what I did); cut down the quantity of onions from 4 to 2 or 3 and the olives (I always buy them pitted) from 1 1/4 cup to 3/4 cup; cut down the 1 cup water to 1/4 cup water or white wine; and add the onion and lemon not maybe in the last 10 minutes. I found that there were a bit too many onion slices and olives, and that the resulting dish could have benefited from a thicker sauce, hence my recommendation to cut the # of water. Also, by letting the onions and lemon cook for so long (40 minutes), I felt it "watered down" their flavor/texture.

by rmc2 on 2011-11-08

Re prior post, let me clarify that the onion and lemon should be put in the last 10 minutes of cooking.

by DAISYBOWE on 2011-11-21

Delicious. Only issue is with the very bitter taste of the lemon rinds. I just remove them before serving. Don't agree with the cous cous suggestion above......rice is more substantial and holds up better to the flavors.

by JENNSHE1029@AOL.COM on 2012-01-22

This is the first recipe I have made from site. I really enjoyed it. I used a small lemon and my mandoline to slice the lemons and did not have any issues with bitterness. I keep the pits in the olives and just told the dinners they were there. I did not serve with rice or cous cous, but enjoyed it all the same. Looking forward to trying more.

by Einerson on 2012-03-12

A very nice tagine. I used pitted green olives from the fresh "bar" section of my local Giant Eagle grocer. Served it with basmati rice and frozen green peas. Agree that preserved lemons (not hard to make) would be great, but fresh lemon slices (omit the ends) are fine (i.e. did not find the dish bitter at all). I did use skin on thighs (4) and legs (6), so maybe some of the extra fat helped!!!

by APAPINA on 2012-06-01

I wanted to be wow'd by this dish but it fell short for me. As others suggested, I added 1 tsp ginger and served with couscous. This was the right thing to do! Ultimately, though, I felt that the saffron overpowered the dish. Surprisingly the leftovers were MUCH better the next day--as if the flavors needed time to blend and mellow.

by LOLA DEE on 2012-07-01

I am planning on making this for a dinner party, I was told by a chef friend who made it that this dish tastes better reheated, the next day after cooking. Perfect, no cooking day of party, just reheat on a chafing dish & boil water for couscous, & toss a salad. Since you all mentioned the bitterness of the lemons, I am going to try oranges, I love oranges & chicken together, especially blood oranges would be spectacular. I will let you know how it comes out!

by JOHNCOAST on 2012-07-13

I thought this dish was delicious and definitely recommend marinating the chicken overnight. Also, I sliced the lemon as thin as possible and they cooked beautifully. Next time I'm going to process the garlic in a food processor and then mix with salt. Even after really giving the garlic a good smash with my knife, I still had larger chunks of garlic than what I wanted due to how fibrous the garlic was. Those chunks burnt up when I browned my chicken. The dish turned out great!

by COMECONELLA on 2012-10-29

I used this recipe as an inspiration for a tagine like casserole with peal cous cous. It was fantastic. Definitely use preserved lemons over fresh ones. They are so much more interesting in this dish! http://comeconella.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/downton-supper-pearl-couscous-casserole.html

by COOKINGCUTIE11 on 2012-11-18

I made this for dinner and it was pretty good. I used all thighs and cut down the amount of onions a bit (they actually simmered down quite a bit, so I would use the full amount next time). The onions were deliciously tender and the sauce was fantastic. The saltiness of the olives/brine went well with the fattiness of the dark meat chicken and the acidity of the lemon. Since I had no idea if this recipe is authentic or not, I'm judging it based on the flavors. I was afraid the lemon rind would make the dish too bitter (as I've had that problem before), but luckily it was ok for the most part (I did end up adding a touch of sugar and extra salt). I would make this regularly.

by BETHGLACE on 2012-12-12

We all loved this recipe, from my 8 year old to my teenagers and husband. If I had made twice as much it would still have all been finished. We had boneless chicken breasts, so that is what I used and the marinade permeated the meat beautifully. I did cook it in a tagine, and let it carmelize a bit as it finished cooking as is typical in tagine dishes. I would not cut down on the onions, but would substitute preserved lemons if you have them or can get them [easy to make but must be done days ahead]. I served with rice, although in Morocco tagines are often eaten with their round bread to sop up the juices.

by DANIELLESWEENEY on 2013-06-14

A winner. I agree with the lemon suggestions. Cut off the ends, etc..
I use Castelvetrano olives and keep the pits in. I have substituted preserved lemons (homemade) with success. I like it with a bit of smoked paprika as well. Also, I agree that the dish is better the next day.

Djej Besla - Chicken and Onion Tagine 4 5 16 18