This new find from the March 2011 issue of Food and Wine is a lovely one-dish chicken recipe. The chicken pieces are simmered in a nicely spiced broth until cooked and are then removed. Add tomatoes, artichoke hearts, onion, preserved lemon and peas to the broth for a few minutes before returning the chicken to the pot to heat through.

Tomatoes, artichokes, minced onion and preserved lemon are added to the broth

The cooked chicken and peas are simmered until heated through

Preserved lemons are easy to make, and they add an incredible flavour. However, if you do make them yourself, the process takes about six weeks. I was able to find some at Pusateri’s that contained only lemons and salt – no artificial ingredients. I couldn’t find frozen artichoke hearts so I used canned ones and they worked just fine. I served the tagine with couscous and asparagus.

Chicken tagine with artichoke hearts and peas

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use an all-natural stock, such as Imagine brand, pure spices and preserved lemon with no colour or flavour added.

Ingredients:

One 4-pound chicken—legs separated into drumsticks and thighs, breasts halved crosswise, skin and visible fat removed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 medium onions—1 coarsely chopped, 1 minced

1½ cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth

6 saffron threads, crumbled

½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon hot paprika

¼ teaspoon turmeric

2 medium tomatoes, cut into eighths

¼ preserved lemon, rind only, minced (see Note)

8 frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and quartered

1 cup frozen petite peas, thawed

Preparation:

Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. In a medium, enameled cast-iron casserole, combine the chicken with the coarsely chopped onion and the chicken stock and bring to a boil. In a small bowl, mix the saffron threads with the ginger, coriander, cumin, paprika and turmeric. Stir the spice mixture into the broth. Cover and simmer over low heat, turning the chicken pieces once, until the breast pieces are just white throughout, about 25 minutes; transfer the breast pieces to a bowl and cover. Continue to simmer the drumsticks and thighs, covered, until done, about 15 minutes longer; transfer to the bowl with the breast pieces and keep covered.

Add the minced onion, the tomatoes, preserved lemon and artichoke hearts to the casserole and simmer over moderate heat until the broth is richly flavored, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add the peas. Return the chicken to the casserole and simmer gently, turning a few times, until heated through. Serve the tagine in shallow bowls. Serves 4.

From the March 2011 issue of Food and Wine