Lemon-Olive Chicken with Vegetable Tagine
Marcus Samuelsson

Lemon-Olive Chicken with Vegetable Tagine
You can find ras el hanout, a Moroccan spice blend, at zamourispices.com. The tagine embodies the cooking of the Maghreb—typically Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria—where it's made in an earthenware pot with a conical lid. This vegetarian version is made in a skillet.

Ingredients:
Serves 4

  • 1 (4- to 5-pound) chicken
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 10 green olives
  • 5 black olives
  • 4 cloves garlic , smashed
  • 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
  • 2 shallots , roughly chopped
  • 1 (3-inch) piece ginger , peeled
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Juice of 2 lemons (about 1/4 cup)
  • 1 tablespoon ras el hanout
  • Vegetable tagine
Preheat oven to 400°. Rub body and neck cavities of chicken with salt; sprinkle skin with salt. Stuff cavities with olives, garlic, lemon zest, shallots and ginger. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice and ras el hanout; rub all over chicken breast and legs.

Truss chicken. Place on a rack in a roasting pan; roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh registers 160°, 60 to 70 minutes.

Transfer to a platter. Let rest 10 to 15 minutes before carving. Serve with vegetable tagine.