Djaj Mqualli - One Of The Many Green Olive Recipes With Chicken and Lemon

Posted by Carol Austin on July 25th, 2017

When you embrace the Mediterranean diet, olives become an imperative ingredient to be used in several different methods. Surely by now, you have witnessed several versions of olives as snacks and appetizers, or as a vital element in dips, sauces, grain and pasta dishes, stews, and even in baked goods. Olives are an impeccable source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, important fatty acids, natural antioxidants, and iron. As there are many different varieties of olives, with vacillating flavors and colors, green olives are one of the favourites.

So, if you feel your diet has become mundane or if you are tired of eating the same bland food items all the time, then you surely need to try one of the many green olive recipes mentioned here.

Djaj Mqualli (Chicken, Olive, and Lemon Tagine)

Tagine is basically the Moroccan stew which shares its name with the terra-cotta pot it is traditionally cooked in. The neat conical lit of the tera-cotta pot promotes convection and even cooking. Although there is a multitude of formats, the most classic one is braised chicken, green olives and lemons in a sauce fragrant with ginger and coriander.

Ingredients -

• Olive oil - 3 tablespoon

• Chicken legs - 6

• Sliced large yellow onions - 2

• Ground coriander, ground white pepper, ground ginger, unsalted butter, finely chopped cilantro - 2 tablespoons each

• Ground turmeric, finely chopped parsley - 1 tablespoon each

• Crushed saffron threads - 1/2 tablespoon

• Chicken stock - 1 1/2 cups

• Cracked green olives - 6 oz.

• Preserved lemons, cut into slices - 2

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste

Method -

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in 8-qt Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper, put it into pot and cook, turning it regularly until browned for 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate. Now put onions in the pot and cook for 12 to 15 minutes. When onion turns golden add spices and cook for 2 minutes. Return chicken to pot with stock and let it boil. Cover the pot and bake chicken until tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Stir in olives, butter, parsley, cilantro, and lemons into the pot, and cook for 6 more minutes. Serve with rice or flatbread.

You will surely love the full flavor and tender chicken of Moroccan tagines. If you haven’t mixed olives with chicken before, then give this recipe a try and give a treat to your taste buds!