Chicken and Olive Tagine
Tagines are a North African dish cooked in an earthenware pot. A pressure cooker is a great substitute! Chicken thighs are marinated in fragrant spices, creating a tender, flavorful dish with warm spices and briny olives.
Tagines are a North African dish cooked in an earthenware pot. A pressure cooker is a great substitute! Chicken thighs are marinated in fragrant spices, creating a tender, flavorful dish with warm spices and briny olives.
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- salt and pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 4 large chicken thighs (skin-on and bone-in (2 1/2 pounds
- 2 tablespoons canola or grapeseed oil
- 1 onion (sliced)
- 6 cloves garlic (smashed)
- 1/2 lemon (juiced)
- 1/3 cup high-quality pitted olives
- Carbohydrate 3.00202999869118 g
- Cholesterol 230 mg
- Fat 53.3842262442085 g
- Fiber 1.05573750401968 g
- Protein 57.733693749701 g
- Saturated Fat 13.9255427077736 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (332g)
- Sodium 242.96355988905 mg
- Sugar 1.9462924946715 g
- Trans Fat 4.28917320807004 g
- Calories 734 calories
Step-by-step
- COMBINE the paprika, cumin, turmeric, ginger, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Season the chicken thighs generously with salt and pepper on both sides. Rub both sides of each thigh with the spice mixture, using it all. Place in a bowl or plastic bag to marinate for at least 1 hour or up to 3 hours.
- ONCE the chicken is done marinating, turn on the Sauté function. Once hot, add the oil. Add 2 of the thighs, skin side down, and cook for about 3 minutes without moving. Remove and repeat with the remaining thighs. Set aside.
- ADD the onion and cook for 2 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 more minute. Turn off the Sauté function. Add the broth and scrape any remaining bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the chicken, skin side up, and squeeze them in so that they fit in one layer. Secure the lid.
- COOK at high pressure for 10 minutes and use a natural release.
- REMOVE the chicken and some of the onions. Turn on the Sauté function and simmer the sauce for 10 to 15 minutes, until reduced by more than half and starting to thicken. Turn off the Sauté function. Add the lemon juice, stir, and taste for seasoning.
- TO SERVE, pour the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle the olives on top.
Deeply aromatic spices coat tender chicken thighs while sharp lemon juice cuts through the rich, savory sauce topped with briny fruit. Preparing traditional North African braises usually requires specialized earthenware equipment, but modern electric cookers bypass this hurdle entirely by sealing in steam under high pressure. Making this dish fit specific nutritional requirements without purchasing specialty ingredients requires careful adjustments to fats and liquids. High-smoke-point oils like canola or grapeseed handle the initial sear at high heat without burning, but neutral avocado oil serves as an exact one-to-one swap if that is what your pantry already holds.
Sodium management remains a common challenge when incorporating cured ingredients like olives into braised poultry dishes. Rinsing pitted fruit under cold water removes excess surface brine before adding them at the end of cooking, preventing the sauce from becoming overwhelmingly salty. Swapping standard chicken broth for a low-sodium homemade stock provides total control over the mineral content while utilizing leftover bones from previous meals efficiently. Cooking the poultry skin-on maximizes natural fats during the initial browning phase, yet removing that skin prior to serving instantly drops the total saturated fat content significantly.
Extra portions store safely in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days, though the citrus brightness tends to mellow over time. Reheating day-old portions gently on the stovetop with an extra splash of water restores the sauce consistency without overcooking the meat.
