Chicken Tagine

This is my tagine.  It is a coking vessel from North Africa that is used to make a slow cooked stew, which is also called, tagine.  It is very easy to use and make a nice presentation at the table.  If you have the time, you can marinade the meat in  the spices. But if you are like me, you probably think about how to prepare dinner right before the preparation begins. 
One of the elements of this meal is ghee.  That is just clarified butter, which means butter that is melted then the oil is removed from the solids.  The oil is the ghee.  I melt the butter but do not separate the oil from the solids. To be a traditional recipe, a lemon preserved in salt would be used but that is not something that I have readily available so I use a plain, old Texas Lemon.  This is also placed into a cold oven and heated to 350 degrees then cooked for 2 hours.  I preheat my oven just to eliminate any bacterial issues that might arise from cooking a chicken that way. So you will need to preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  If you do not own a tagine, this can be cooked in an oven proof pan.

1 teaspoon of Cinnamon
3 Tablespoons of Parsley Flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons of Ginger
1 teaspoon of Ground Cumin
2 teaspoons of Paprika
1/8 teaspoon of turmeric
Salt and Cracked Pepper
1 Chicken, cut up or 3 pounds of Chicken pieces
1 Tablespoon of Sepay Groves Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion, Sliced
2 large Whole Cloves of Garlic or 4 Small Cloves of Garlic
1 Lemon
1/2 cup of Butter, melted

Start by skinning the chicken pieces.  Wash chicken and place it in a bowl.  Mix together the spices and rub into the chicken. Set aside. Remember to sanitize the entire area where you handled the chicken, including the sink.
Pour olive in the bottom of the tagine or pan.  Using a spoon, remove the flesh from 1/2 of the lemon and discard the rind.  Add the lemon to olive oil. Next layer the onion slices on top. Then place the chicken on top of the onions and top that with garlic.  Pour melted butter over the chicken.  Bake at 350 degrees for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.  Let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.  Slice the other half of the lemon to squeeze over the meat.

Enjoy!

Deloris

Printable recipe: https:/sites.google.com/site/basilandrosemarys/chicken-tagine