Hairy Bikers chicken tagine is chicken on the bone braised with saffron, ginger and onions, then finished with preserved lemons and green olives. And this version from their Chicken & Egg book serves 4 in about 1 hour 45 minutes, at 630 calories a portion by my sums.
Writing in Chicken & Egg, Si and Dave say they cooked it in Fez, and reckon “it was better than the one the locals made!” And unlike their Hairy Dieters version, there’s no tomato or potato, so ginger, white pepper, cinnamon, cloves and saffron carry the sauce.
The preserved lemons matter most, and they go in late, with only half simmered alongside the olives for the last 5 minutes. Then the rest go on straight from the jar, and that keeps their salty, sour bite sharp against the rich chicken.
Hairy Bikers Chicken Tagine Recipe
Description
Golden onions and warm spices go into the pot first, then browned chicken pieces simmer gently in saffron stock until almost falling from the bone. And fresh parsley and coriander are stirred through just before serving.
Ingredients
For the tagine
To finish
Instructions
- Soften the onions: Put the saffron to soak in a little water. Then heat the oil in a large tagine, casserole or deep frying pan, and fry the onions over a medium heat until light golden brown. Allow about 10 minutes for this.
- Add the spices: Add the garlic and all the spices and cook for a minute more. Then lift everything out of the pan and set it aside.
- Brown the chicken: Fry the chicken skin-side down for a few minutes, then turn it over, working in batches so the pan isn’t crowded. Then return all the chicken and the onion mix to the pan and season with salt.
- Add the stock: Pour in the stock or 300ml of water, along with the saffron and its soaking water. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and cover the pan.
- Simmer: Simmer for about 45 minutes, turning the chicken regularly, until the meat is about to fall off the bone.
- Add the lemons and olives: Stir in half the preserved lemon strips and the olives, then simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.
- Finish and serve: Stir in the parsley and coriander and scatter over the rest of the lemon strips. Serve straight away with flatbread or couscous.
FAQs
Can I make it in a slow cooker?
I haven’t found a slow cooker version in their books, so this is my own method, based on slow cooker guidance. So use thighs or legs, fully defrosted, since breasts would dry out over this long, and do steps 1 to 3 on the hob. Then move everything into the slow cooker with the saffron and about 150ml of stock, because little liquid evaporates under the lid.
Cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or high for 3 to 4, until the thickest part reaches 75°C. But I wouldn’t go past 7 hours on low, since chicken on the bone can turn stringy. Then switch to high, add half the lemons and the olives, and cook uncovered for 20 minutes before the herbs and last lemon go on.
Is this the chicken tagine on their official site?
Not quite, since the one on their site uses cumin and crushed black peppercorns instead of cinnamon and cloves. And it serves 6, simmering about an hour with the lemons in from the start, before the olives join for the last 10 minutes.
This one is the tagine from Chicken & Egg, and it’s also on BBC Food under their name. Then for another spiced dish from the same book, their shakshuka from Chicken & Egg cooks eggs in peppers and onions with cumin and caraway. Or for a sweet and savoury bake, their Moroccan chicken pie wraps saffron-spiced chicken, egg, dates and almonds in filo.
Is there a Hairy Dieters chicken tagine with potatoes?
Yes, it’s on their official site, serving 5 at 313 calories a portion. And it uses boneless, skinless thighs with 600g of potatoes, tomatoes, paprika and chilli flakes, while the onions are steam-fried with 1 tbsp of oil.
So that’s the one to make if you’re counting calories, and it’s ready in just over an hour. And for another lighter chicken dinner, their Hairy Dieters Spanish chicken comes in at 370 calories a portion.
Do they make a chicken tagine with apricots?
Not by that name, though in Chicken & Egg they make a Moroccan-inspired chicken with chickpeas and apricots. And it simmers 500g of diced boneless thighs with 100g of dried apricots, chickpeas, tomatoes and pomegranate molasses for about 20 minutes, covered. Then roasted red peppers go in for the last 5 minutes, uncovered.
They add cayenne because it “balances out the sweetness of the molasses and the apricots”. And it comes with herby couscous, scattered with pomegranate seeds and toasted almonds. So for apricots in a slower braise, their lamb tagine with apricots cooks lamb neck with saffron and pomegranate molasses.
Where do I find preserved lemons, and can I make it ahead?
Preserved lemons are in most supermarkets now, and Si and Dave say you can make your own. And once the jar is open, keep it in the fridge, rinsing a lemon before slicing if you want it less salty.
They call the version on their site “great made a day before”, so I’d cook this one to the end of step 5 ahead too. Then cool it within 2 hours, keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days and reheat once on the hob until piping hot. And once it’s simmering again, carry on from step 6 with the lemons and olives.
