Don’t have a tagine? Cook Moroccan chicken in a slow cooker Consisting of chicken thighs, lots of spices, onions, green olives, lemons and sultanas, it cooks slowly until it’s as tender as mush.

Moroccan chicken, my favorite! Chicken thighs rubbed with lots of spices and cooked until tender with olives and lemons.

This is a variation of our popular Middle east recipes. Boneless and skinless chicken thighs are sprinkled with paprika, ginger, cumin, turmeric, coriander and other spices, placed on a layer of chopped onions and slowly cooked until soft along with green olives, lemon slices and sultanas.

The list of spices is long, so if you miss one or two, don’t worry. Feel free to experiment with the amounts and find what you like.

I like the subtle addition of crushed fennel seeds, and I recommend not overdoing it with cinnamon, as it can be bitter in large quantities.

If you don’t want sultanas or dried fruit, add a cup of chopped carrots during the last hour of cooking.

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless and skinless chicken thighs, cleaned of excess fat (don’t remove all the fat, just large chunks).

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground Jamaican pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground fennel seeds

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1 red onion, coarsely chopped (about 2 cups)

3 garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon)

1 cup seedless green olives

1/2 cup sultanas

1/2 fresh lemon, thinly sliced

Fresh coriander or parsley for garnish

Cooking in a slow cooker

Cook at maximum slow cooker temperature for 2-2.5 hours or at minimum temperature for 4-5 hours (depending on the brand of your slow cooker). Stir by the end of cooking so that the lemons, olives and sultanas are mixed in with the liquid. The chicken is ready when it becomes tender and falls apart.

Serve with couscous or rice (use rice if cooking gluten-free). Garnish with fresh coriander and/or parsley.