My Cookbook: Souk to Table 
Tajine Zitoune (Chicken & Green Olives Stew)
North African cuisine is rife with slow-cooked stews, and this traditional one-pot Algerian tajine zitoune is one of the best to try. It features bone-in chicken stewed with green olives and carrots, seasoned with a blend of warm spices. The result is tender chicken in a rich and silky sauce, with a bright pop of citrusy and salty flavour from the olives. Serve with warm khobz, over couscous or over rice for a delicious and comforting meal.
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Algerian Tajine Zitoune
One of my favourite cuisines is Moroccan cuisine, due to my deep love of slow-cooked and stewed dishes. But one of the lesser-known cuisines that many have prompted me to try is Algerian. This Algerian tajine zitoune is the one that most piqued my interest.
It’s not often that you find a main dish that incorporates cooked green olives as a main ingredient, which made me quite curious. The result is: it works! And this tajine is one of the best I’ve ever had. It has a base of caramelized onions and incorporates classic North African spices like ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, and cumin, resulting in a an aromatic and deeply savoury stew.
Tajine, or Tagine is another word for a dish that’s stewed in the traditional “tagine”, which is a cone-shaped clay or cast iron cooking vessel. The cone shape allows steam to circulate effectively and results in slow-cooked and very tender meats and vegetables.
This technique can be easily replicated using a heavy cast-iron dutch oven or braiser with a lid, as I use in this recipe.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
First, gather these ingredients. Here are a few notes to keep in mind when thinking through substitutions.
For the chicken: I prefer bone-in drumsticks or thighs, but you can also use boneless chicken. Keep in mind that it will need less time to cook, so I would add the boneless pieces after the carrots have stewed for 7 to 10 minutes, to avoid overcooking the chicken.
For the green olives: It’s easier to buy already pitted green olives. Make sure you drain them from the brine and soak for 30 minutes. This ensures that most of the salt content is removed, to avoid a very salty tagine! I don’t recommend using black olives as they will have a different flavour profile, and green olives is the traditional way of making it.
For the spices: The classic North African spices are cumin, turmeric, ginger and cinnamon. If you have one of these missing, that’s okay. You can also use saffron in this recipe, which works quite well. But because its pricey, I developed the recipe without it.
How to Make this Recipe, Step-by-Step
In a large pot, start by heating the olive oil. Then, sprinkle the chicken with salt and sear for 3 to 4 minutes on both sides until lightly golden. Set aside.
Next, soften the onions in the same pot. Cook for at least 6 to 7 minutes until translucent, then add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Then, add all of the spices and the remaining salt.
Add the carrots in, stir well, then add the bay leaves and the water. Add the chicken back in, then cover and simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, uncover and add the green olives. Cover and continue to simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Then, add the cornstarch slurry (which you can make by mixing the cornstarch with a few tablespoons of cold water until smooth). Allow the tagine to thicken for a few more minutes.
Squeeze the lemon juice on top, then taste and adjust for more salt and pepper if required. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.
Serving and Storage Suggestions
I personally enjoy this served over rice (I’m quite partial to rice as a side with stews, always), and I suggest either medium grain Egyptian rice or rice with vermicelli. You can even quickly make instant pot basmati rice.
Otherwise, you could also serve this with couscous or with khubz (bread!).
As for storage, place any leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for 2-3 days. Leftovers can also be frozen for 2 to 3 months.
If you tried these recipes, please consider leaving a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page – I’d love to hear from you! You can also hop on over to Instagram and say hello!
Tajine Zitoune (Algerian Olive & Chicken Stew)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 680 grams bone-in, skin on chicken drumsticks, or use chicken thighs or full legs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 453 grams carrots, approx. 4-5 medium carrots, cut into rounds
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 400 grams green olives, pitted, drained and soaked in water for 30 minutes
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch, plus 2 tablespoons water to make a slurry
- 1 lemon, juiced, to taste
- 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with 1 teaspoon of the salt and sear on both sides for 2-3 minutes until lightly golden. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- To the same pot, add the diced onions and cook for 3-5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Add the carrots and stir for a few minutes.
- Add the chicken back in along with the bay leaves, turmeric, cinnamon, ground ginger, cumin, curry powder, black pepper and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Stir, then add 2-3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Uncover and add in the soaked olives and continue to simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Combine the cornstarch with the 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl to make a slurry. Pour the slurry into the stew to thicken the sauce. Stir and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
- Add in the lemon juice to taste and garnish with the chopped parsley. Serve with bread or over rice.
Notes
- Make sure the green olives you use have been rinsed, drained and soaked in cold water for 30 minutes. This step is crucial to ensure the Tajine does not end up very salty due to the salt content in the olives.
- For the chicken, you can use any bone-in cut for great flavour. If you only have boneless, that will work too, but the chicken will need less cooking time. Allow the tajine to simmer with the carrots and all ingredients for 10 minutes before adding back in the boneless chicken.
Made again, took pictures. Served with Italian bread with extra virgin olive oil.
Looks lovely Mike, thanks for sharing the picture with us!
I had been in a cooking rut and this brought back my groove. So delicious and easy, thank you!!!
I have never had food made with olives. Got a Christmas basket with olives, had to use it. Daughter found you, printed it up, I made it, rather good. Will have to make it again.
Says ” Serve with bread or over rice.” Ah… It is a stew, for in a bowl, with bread; not on a plate over rice.
Hi Mike! Really glad you enjoyed this unique dish! Also, in Arab culture, we do serve a lot of stews over rice (my family tends to prefer it over bread), but it’s delicious either way. Thanks for your review!
This was delicious!! I do think the instructions in the blog part of the page and the instructions in the actual recipe are in slightly different order but whatever I did worked! Thank you!