Chicken, Lemon and Olive Tagine

This dish was inspired by my recent trip to Morocco. I had this dish on my first night there and I enjoyed it very much. The moist and tender chicken infused with fragrant spices and the freshness of the lemon is a perfect combination. You can either serve it with couscous or flat bread, both are equally great accompaniments to soak up all those exotic flavours.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 medium size chicken legs, skinned
1/2 aubergine, cut into cubes
2 fresh tomatoes, sliced
100g tinned chickpeas
10 green olives, sliced
1/2 lemon, sliced
1 tbs raisins
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp chopped fresh ginger
1/2 or 1 red chilli, chopped
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tbs chopped fresh coriander for garnish

Boil the sliced lemon for 10 minutes or until translucent then drain and set aside. Meanwhile in a pan heat the olive oil on a medium heat, add the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli and sauté until fragrant. After that add the chicken, chickpeas, olives and lemon into the pan, top up with a cup of water and bring to the boil. Add all the ground spices, season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir for a few minutes. Throw in the aubergine, raisins and tomatoes and let it simmer on a low heat for 20 to 30 minutes with the lid on, until the chicken is tender and the sauce is thick. While the tagine is cooking you can start preparing the couscous according to the package instructions. Serve the chicken tagine over couscous garnished with chopped fresh coriander.

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