Chicken Tagine with Potatoes & Olives

Moroccan-Style Chicken Tagine with Potatoes, Carrots and Olives

October 18, 2026

Tender chicken, buttery potatoes, sweet carrots, and green olives come together in a fragrant onion sauce in this Moroccan-style chicken tagine. Fresh herbs and warm spices give the dish its golden color and savory flavor, while peas add a little sweetness to every spoonful.

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Serve it with warm bread to scoop up the sauce, and you have a generous, comforting dinner made for sharing.

What is this recipe? This chicken and vegetable tagine is a gently simmered dish of bone-in chicken, onions, potatoes, carrots, peas, and olives. The chicken cooks first; the vegetables then simmer in its flavorful sauce before everything comes together for serving. A Dutch oven works if you do not own a stovetop-safe tagine.

Recipe source: Adapted from the chicken drumstick tagine shared by Chez حياة | Hayat, as shown in the supplied video and caption screenshots. The ingredient counts, spice quantities, chicken simmering time, and oven finish below follow that caption. Tea-glass conversions, serving yield, vegetable cooking time, and unspecified herb amounts are editorial estimates. This adaptation has not been kitchen-tested.

Recipe at a Glance

Detail	Amount
Yield	Approximately 3–4 servings
Preparation	About 20 minutes
Cooking	About 90 minutes; allow 80–100 minutes
Total	About 1 hour 50 minutes, excluding optional marinating
Course	Main course
Style	Moroccan-inspired
Method	Stovetop braising with an oven finish
Equipment	Large Dutch oven or stovetop-safe tagine, plus a metal baking tray

Why You’ll Love This Chicken Tagine

A generous combination of chicken and vegetables. Potatoes, carrots, and peas cook in the same savory sauce.
Warm spices without intense heat. Paprika, ginger, turmeric, and black pepper create an aromatic base. The source uses a generous quantity of spices; reduce the pepper if you prefer a milder dish.
No special pot required. A heavy Dutch oven with a lid is a practical alternative.
A sauce worth saving bread for. Soft onions, garlic, herbs, and chicken juices become the heart of the dish.
Flexible ingredients. Use chicken thighs or drumsticks and adjust the vegetables to what you have.

If you enjoy comforting chicken dinners, save Polia’s Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup for another evening.

Ingredients

Chicken and vegetables

5 chicken drumsticks
4 potatoes, diced into roughly ¾-inch (2 cm) pieces
3 carrots, diced into roughly ½-inch (1 cm) pieces
2 onions, finely chopped
150 g frozen green peas
150 g green olives, drained; pitted olives are convenient
Fresh coriander (cilantro) and parsley, chopped, for finishing
A drizzle of olive oil for cooking the onions

Marinade

½ tea glass water
½ tea glass olive oil
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon ground ginger
½ tablespoon ground black pepper (1½ teaspoons)
3 garlic cloves, chopped or finely grated
Fresh parsley and coriander (cilantro), chopped
Salt to taste

Additional cooking liquid

About ½ tea glass hot water for the chicken
Additional hot water to almost cover the vegetables when they are added

Tea-glass measurement: The creator does not state the glass capacity. For a reproducible starting point, this adaptation uses a 120 ml glass, making each half-glass 60 ml (¼ US cup, approximately). This is an editorial assumption, not a verified conversion of the creator’s glass. Add cooking water according to the pot and evaporation.

Herb quantity: The caption does not specify an amount. A practical starting point is ¼ cup each of chopped parsley and cilantro for the marinade, with extra for serving.

Spice strength: The tablespoons above match the supplied caption. For a gentler adaptation, use ½ teaspoon black pepper instead of 1½ teaspoons. Use sweet paprika for warmth without chili heat.

Ingredient Notes

Chicken: The source uses five drumsticks. Similar-size bone-in thighs are an alternative; judge doneness by internal temperature and tenderness.

Potatoes: Waxy potatoes hold their shape well during simmering. The source specifies four potatoes without a weight, so the finished yield depends on their size.

Olives: Taste and rinse them if they are very salty. Adjust salt after they have warmed in the sauce.

Fresh herbs: Coriander and cilantro refer to the same fresh herb here. Use all parsley if you prefer, as a variation.

Water: The source specifies water, not stock. The chicken, onions, herbs, and spices create the sauce as they cook.

How to Make Chicken Tagine with Vegetables

Step 1: Prepare the Vegetables

Finely chop the onions. Dice the potatoes and carrots into evenly sized pieces, then drain the olives. Rinse the olives if needed to reduce their saltiness.

Prepare the vegetables before handling raw chicken, and wash hands and utensils after contact with the chicken.

Step 2: Make the Marinade

Mix the half-glass each of water and olive oil with the paprika, turmeric, ginger, black pepper, garlic, parsley, cilantro, and salt.

Before adding raw chicken, reserve about one-third of the marinade in a separate clean bowl for the vegetables. This is an editorial handling adjustment to the source method, which reuses the chicken marinade for vegetables that are subsequently cooked.

The source suggests pricking the drumsticks with a toothpick; this is optional and is not necessary for coating them in seasoning.

Step 3: Marinate the Chicken and Season the Vegetables

Coat the five drumsticks thoroughly in the larger portion of marinade. If time allows, cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 1–3 hours, as suggested by the creator.

Toss the potatoes, carrots, peas, and olives with the clean reserved portion. Refrigerate until needed.

For firmer, greener peas, hold them back and add them during the last 5–8 minutes of vegetable cooking instead. This is an optional variation on the source method.

Step 4: Soften the Onions and Simmer the Chicken

Add a drizzle of olive oil and the chopped onions to a large Dutch oven. Cook over medium-low heat for approximately 7–10 minutes, until softened.

For a clay tagine, follow its manufacturer’s instructions for gradual heating, burner compatibility, and heat-diffuser use.

Arrange the chicken over the onions. Add its marinade and about half a tea glass of hot water. Cover and maintain a gentle simmer for 45–60 minutes, turning the drumsticks every 10–15 minutes.

Adjust the burner to maintain a gentle simmer rather than a hard boil. Add small amounts of hot water if the base starts drying out.

Cook the chicken to at least 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part, with the thermometer clear of the bone. Continue cooking if necessary. See the USDA safe minimum internal temperature chart.

Step 5: Brown the Cooked Chicken in the Oven

Toward the end of simmering, preheat the oven to 170°C fan (338°F; approximately 340°F convection).

Transfer the cooked drumsticks to a metal baking tray. Spoon a little of the thoroughly cooked tagine sauce over them, then bake for 10–15 minutes, until lightly browned.

This oven temperature and timing are stated in the creator’s caption. Use cooked sauce for basting; do not add uncooked leftover chicken marinade at this stage.

Keep the clay tagine on the stovetop and use a separate oven-safe tray for the chicken.

Step 6: Cook the Vegetables in the Sauce

While the chicken browns, add the seasoned vegetables to the onion sauce in the tagine or Dutch oven.

Pour in enough hot water to almost cover the vegetables. Cover and simmer gently until the potatoes and carrots are tender, checking the liquid level occasionally.

Allow approximately 20–30 minutes for the suggested dice size. This vegetable timing is an estimate; the source simply says to cook until tender.

If you held back the frozen peas, add them during the final 5–8 minutes. Fold the vegetables gently to avoid breaking the potatoes.

Step 7: Return the Chicken to the Tagine

Arrange the browned chicken over the tender vegetables. Spoon over a little sauce and gently heat everything together if necessary.

The finished sauce should be spoonable. If it is watery, simmer uncovered briefly before returning the chicken. If it is too thick, add a splash of hot water.

Step 8: Garnish and Serve

Taste the sauce and adjust the salt after the olives have cooked in it.

Sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley and cilantro. Serve hot with warm bread for scooping up the vegetables and sauce.

Tips for Tender Chicken and Flavorful Sauce

Keep the heat gentle. A steady, quiet simmer gives you more control than vigorous boiling and helps protect the onion base from scorching.

Start with less liquid. Covered cookware traps steam. You can add more water, but too much at the start can dilute the sauce.

Check the chicken with a thermometer. Piece size, cookware, and burner heat all affect timing.

Use uniform vegetable pieces. Large potato chunks may remain firm after smaller pieces have started falling apart.

Add salt gradually. The olives contribute salt as they warm in the sauce.

Use a wide enough pot. A crowded, small tagine may not hold this quantity comfortably. Use a large Dutch oven or reduce the batch.

Troubleshooting

Problem	What to do
Potatoes are still firm	Cover and simmer longer, adding a small splash of warm water if needed.
Sauce is watery	Remove the lid and reduce gently; lift out tender vegetables first if necessary.
Onion base is catching	Lower the heat and add a little warm water. Avoid scraping burnt bits into the sauce.
Sauce tastes salty	Add a little unsalted water and, if available, extra separately cooked vegetables.
Chicken skin is soft	This is expected with covered braising. Use the oven-finishing step for light browning.

Variations and Substitutions

Without a Tagine Pot

Use a Dutch oven or a wide, heavy casserole with a tight-fitting lid. Watch the liquid level because different pots release steam at different rates.

With Chicken Thighs

Replace the drumsticks with a similar quantity of bone-in thighs. Cooking time can change; check the internal temperature rather than relying on the clock.

With Preserved Lemon

Add 1–2 teaspoons finely chopped preserved lemon rind with the olives. Taste before adding more because the saltiness and intensity vary.

With a Little Heat

Add a pinch of cayenne to the spice mixture, or serve a small amount of harissa on the side.

Without Cilantro

Replace the cilantro with an equal amount of flat-leaf parsley.

What to Serve with Chicken Tagine

Warm Moroccan bread or another sturdy bread is ideal for scooping up the vegetables and sauce.

For a fresh contrast, add a cucumber and tomato salad dressed with olive oil and lemon juice.

Couscous or rice can also accompany the dish if you prefer, although the potatoes already make it substantial.

For a larger spread, add Polia’s Garlic Herb Roasted Vegetables.

Storage and Reheating

Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours, or within 1 hour if the surrounding temperature is above 90°F (32°C).

Keep refrigerated leftovers for 3–4 days. For best quality, freeze portions for up to 3 months; the potatoes may soften after thawing.

Thaw in the refrigerator. Reheat in a covered saucepan with a splash of water until the chicken and vegetables reach 165°F (74°C) throughout.

For more detail, follow the USDA guide to leftovers and food safety.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make chicken tagine without a tagine?

Yes. A Dutch oven or heavy covered pot works for this recipe. Maintain a gentle simmer and adjust the water as needed to keep the sauce from drying out.

What spices go into this chicken tagine?

The creator’s caption lists paprika, turmeric, ground ginger, and black pepper, with garlic, parsley, and coriander. Cumin is not listed in this chicken recipe.

Can I use frozen peas?

Yes. Add frozen peas directly to the simmering sauce during the final 5–8 minutes of vegetable cooking. There is no need to thaw them first.

Do I need preserved lemons?

No. Preserved lemon is an optional variation in this recipe. The main flavor comes from the chicken, onion sauce, herbs, spices, and green olives.

Why cook the chicken before the vegetables?

Cooking in stages lets you build a flavorful sauce while controlling doneness. The chicken is removed once cooked, the potatoes and carrots simmer in the sauce, and everything comes together at the end.

Is this chicken tagine spicy?

With sweet paprika, the recipe has no added chili heat, but the source quantity of black pepper gives it a peppery kick. Reduce the pepper for a milder version.

Can I make it ahead?

Yes. Cook the dish, refrigerate it promptly in shallow containers, and reheat thoroughly before serving. Add fresh herbs after reheating for a fresher finish.