Traybake Chicken with Potatoes, Preserved Lemon and Olives
This chicken traybake is a twist on a classic Moroccan tagine, featuring aromatic spices, tangy preserved lemon and fresh herbs to make a flavourful meal.
Introduction
This is one of Morocco’s most popular tagines. I grew up eating it and countless variations of it, and for me it always tastes like home. While there’s definitely something special about the way this iconic dish is traditionally prepared, on busy weekdays I often turn to an easy traybake version, which still allows me to enjoy all its flavours, from the citrusy brightness of preserved lemons to the savoury depth of the brined olives. Plus, this recipe can easily be scaled up for serving larger groups if needed. After just 15 minutes of prep time, you simply pop everything into a baking tray and let the oven do the rest of the work
Ingredients
| 3 tbsp (45ml) | olive oil, plus more for the pan |
| 1.1kg | bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts or thighs |
| 1 ½ tsp | fine sea salt |
| 180ml | vegetable or chicken stock |
| 4 | garlic cloves, minced or crushed |
| 20g | flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems, finely chopped |
| 20g | coriander leaves and tender stems, finely chopped |
| 1 tbsp (20g) | deseeded and finely chopped preserved lemons, homemade (see page 49 of Madaq) or shop-bought |
| 1 ½ tsp | ground turmeric |
| 1 ½ tsp | ground ginger |
| ¼ tsp | freshly ground black pepper |
| 680g | Maris Piper or other floury potatoes, peeled and cut into 2.5cm pieces |
| 450g | onions, thinly sliced |
| 70g | pitted green olives, roughly torn or halved |
| 1 | unwaxed lemon, thinly sliced |
| Flaky salt, such as Maldon, to serve (optional) |
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan (220°C). Grease a baking tray with olive oil.
Season the chicken pieces on both sides using 3/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
Make the marinade: Combine the olive oil, stock, garlic, parsley, coriander, preserved lemon, turmeric, ginger, 3/4 teaspoon salt and the pepper in a medium bowl and stir to mix. Taste and add more chopped preserved lemon and/or salt, if desired.
Put the potatoes and onions in a large bowl, add half of the marinade and toss to coat. Spread the potatoes and onions out in the prepared tray.
Add the chicken to the same bowl, pour the remaining marinade over it, and use your hands to thoroughly coat the chicken. Arrange the chicken, skin-side up, on top of the onions and potatoes, and pour any marinade remaining in the bowl over everything. Roast for 30 minutes.
Take the tray out of the oven, scatter the olives around the chicken and arrange the lemon slices on top. Return the tray to the oven and roast for another 10–15 minutes, or until the chicken and potatoes are golden and cooked through. Finish with flaky salt, if using, and serve immediately.
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