Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemon, Green Olives, and Thyme

Ingredients:

 8-10 chicken thighs or 4 whole legs

1 tablespoon olive oil with a pat of butter

2 preserved lemons, cut into strips

6 ounces cracked green olives

1-2 teaspoons dried thy me or oregano

For the Marinade:

1 onion, grated

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated

Small bunch of cilantro, finely chopped

Pinch of saffron threads

Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

3-4 tablespoons of olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the marinade. Put the chicken thighs or legs in a shallow dish and coat thyme in the marinade, rubbing it into the skin. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

Heat the olive oil with the butter in a tagine or heavy-based casserole dish. Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and brown them in the oil. Pour over the marinade that is left in the dish and add enough water to come halfway up the sides of the chicken pieces. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat, cover with a lid, and simmer for about 45 minutes, turning the chicken from time to time.

Add the preserved lemon, olives, and half the thyme to the tagine. Cover again and simmer for a further 15-20 minutes. Check the seasoning and sprinkle the rest of the thyme over the top. Serve immediately from the tagine.