It's heartwarming to find that the years and years of cooking for the family has been passed through the generations, and this recipe is one of my son Luc's favourites and one that he has kindly shared. The picture is his too. If you don't have an actual tagine, a cast iron pan like this works extremely well.​It's surprisingly easy to make and the blend of warm spices, confit lemon and olives just makes it hard to stop eating. You will want to make more than you need as it freezes brilliantly too!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

* 4/5 whole chicken legs
* 1 tin chickpeas, drained
* 2 large onions, thinly sliced
* 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated
* 1 preserved lemon
* Half a tin of green olives
* 3 tsp ground ginger
* 3 tsp turmeric
* 3 tsp cumin
* 2 tsp cinnamon
* 2 tbsp olive oil
* Pinch of saffron (optional) 
* 400ml chicken stock
* Large handful fresh coriander
* Salt and black pepper

To serve:

* 200g couscous
* Preserved lemon 
* Coriander 

Method:

1. Mix the ginger, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, salt, pepper and olive oil. Defrost an ice cube in a pinch of saffron and mix (This is not essential but adds the taste of Morocco). 
2. Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken legs.
3. Heat a large tagine or heavy casserole and brown the chicken on all sides. Remove.
4. Add the onions and cook gently for 10–12 minutes until soft and golden.
5. Add the garlic, half the chopped preserved lemon and coriander and cook for another minute.
6. Add the stock, along with the chickpeas, green olives and the chicken on top. 
7. Cover and simmer gently for 45 minutes. 
8. Finish with the remaining fresh coriander and preserved lemon.
9. Prepare the couscous as per packet instructions and serve alongside the tagine.

What to Drink with Chicken Tagine

There are so many options of great wine pairings here, but as always, the trick is to find wines that can match the aromatics, sweetness and spice. The nice thing about a tagine, is that it works with a whole range of styles from Rosé to Red. Check our collection for some of our favourites or use it as a jumping off point.

Bon appetit!