Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Green Olives, Peppers and Lemon
By :Mediterranean Living
This Moroccan inspired dish is a fusion between a Mediterranean recipe and the flavors of New England. We have cooked this for thousands of people in our workshops and many have told us that we should bottle the sauce. It is the perfect blend of sweet and tangy, combining honey, molasses and Dijon mustard with Moroccan spices.
Votes: 35
Rating: 4.11
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Course Dinner
Cuisine Moroccan
Difficulty Easy
Browse Category Poultry, Soups, Stews & Broths
Duration 15-30 min
Cooking Technique Pressure Cook
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings
4 - 8 servings
Ingredients
Moroccan Chicken Tagine
  • 2 lbs chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces
  • 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
  • 1 lemon peeled and sliced thin
  • 2 cups olives green pitted
  • 2 red peppers cut into long wide strips
  • 2 orange peppers cut into long wide strips
  • 2 onions cut into quarters
  • 8 cloves garlic chopped
For the sauce:
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp molasses
  • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp Ginger
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Course Dinner
Cuisine Moroccan
Difficulty Easy
Browse Category Poultry, Soups, Stews & Broths
Duration 15-30 min
Cooking Technique Pressure Cook
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings
4 - 8 servings
Ingredients
Moroccan Chicken Tagine
  • 2 lbs chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces
  • 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
  • 1 lemon peeled and sliced thin
  • 2 cups olives green pitted
  • 2 red peppers cut into long wide strips
  • 2 orange peppers cut into long wide strips
  • 2 onions cut into quarters
  • 8 cloves garlic chopped
For the sauce:
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp molasses
  • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp Ginger
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Votes: 35
Rating: 4.11
Rate this recipe!
Print Recipe
Instructions
  1. Set Instant Pot to saute while prepping the vegetables and chicken.
  2. Add olive oil and chicken to Instant Pot. Saute until the chicken is no longer pink. Add the rest of the ingredients including the sauce ingredients and stir well.
  3. Cover the Instant Pot and lock it. Set the manual or pressure cook time to 20 minutes.
  4. When the timer reaches zero, quick release the pressure.
  5. Enjoy!
53 replies
  1. Nfriberg
    Nfriberg says:

    This was my first instant pot dish, and took me a lot longer to prepare than the recipe says. But after cooking for only 12 minutes, we put it over basmati rice in soup bowls. It tasted great! I’ll probably make it again!

  2. Ldoran
    Ldoran says:

    I would love to try it but for sure its going to burn when pressure cooking as there is no liquid. Did they miss listing chicken stock as an ingredient? I have an 8 qt pot so would definately have to add at least three cups.

  3. Instant Pot
    Instant Pot says:

    Hi Dan G,

    Enough liquid is produced from the sauce and chicken for the unit to reach pressure.

  4. Instant Pot
    Instant Pot says:

    Hi Ldoran,

    All of the ingredients for the recipe are all there. The sauce and chicken produce enough liquid, allowing the Instant Pot to reach pressure.

  5. Aiysha
    Aiysha says:

    Planning to make this. Just wonderig 20 minute pressure time seems too long for bite size chicken. Help please.

  6. Instant Pot
    Instant Pot says:

    Hi Aiysha,

    The chicken will be fine as the liquid from the sauce will keep it from being overdone and prevent burning.

  7. momofpets
    momofpets says:

    Super easy meal. Made without oil; replaced chicken with cubed, firm tofu; used one can Trader Joe’s green olives; added 3/4 cup veggie broth (for fear of burn alarm); and, ate over multi-grain rice cooked separately. Pressure cooked for only 10 minutes then QR. Everything was VERY well done (i.e. limp veggies), in fact it looked about the same as the photo, but with tofu. Reduced sauce with lid off 1-2 min. Pretty great WFPB meal, although a bit high fat to cook often.

  8. Instant Pot
    Instant Pot says:

    Hi caiyemei,

    You can substitute molasses for brown sugar mixed with hot water or for a 1:1 substitution, equal amount of dark corn syrup, maple syrup or honey. These are just a few. Keep in mind that the taste of the sauce could vary depending on what you are using as a substitute.

  9. maryr
    maryr says:

    High or low pressure?
    No liquid? I have an 8 qt. Seems like it will burn.
    Does it really take 20 minutes? You’ve already sauteed the chicken?

  10. Anna_af@hotmail.com
    Anna_af@hotmail.com says:

    Waaaaaayyyy too sour to my taste. Had a suspicion that one full lemon would be way too much for this dish, and was right. Had to add extra honey to balance the acidity… Also, can confirm that enough liquid is produced from the veggies to build pressure from cooking.

  11. Instant Pot
    Instant Pot says:

    Hi maryr,

    When selecting the Manual or Pressure Cook function, if the pressure is not mentioned set to High. For an 8 Qt model, you could add 1/4 cup of liquid or double the recipe to be safe. Yes, the chicken is cooked during Saute but the 20 minute cook time is to allow the flavors to blend.

  12. Juliestyler
    Juliestyler says:

    Lovely flavor! I added crushed red pepper for heat and spinach for greens. May be awesome over brown rice too. Thank you!

  13. BurningBright
    BurningBright says:

    This was our Instant Pot’s maiden voyage so I was a little nervous and forgot to add the lemon, but a squeeze after it finished balanced everything out. It tasted great! Would definitely make it again. It lost a star simply because the peppers were overcooked and their skin had peeled off; I prefer them less cooked, but it wasn’t enough to keep me from making it again. Thanks for the recipe!

  14. Madamelowbrow
    Madamelowbrow says:

    Family loves this! Im not the greatest with measuring things but it turned out perfect♡

  15. Deidrea@aol.com
    Deidrea@aol.com says:

    I’m going to use 2 jars of olives with pimentos. Do I drain? And can the pimentos take the place of red bell pepper or should I still add it?

  16. Instant Pot
    Instant Pot says:

    Hi Deidrea,

    The recipe just calls for the olives themselves and not the liquid.

    There may not be the correct amount of peppers but you might as well try.

  17. Abuelita
    Abuelita says:

    I made it this evening and oh so yummy! Myfamily loved it! I just made rice and poured the chicken on top. I ate it with a spoon because chicken pieces were bite size and the soup it makes is just right to go over rice! This definitely a keeper!

  18. elysezelunka
    elysezelunka says:

    This was the first time to use my instant pot.
    I used 2 large boneless chicken breasts which was less than 2 lbs. I altered the quantities of the vegtables but not the sauce.
    I did not cook it for 20 minutes since I thought that may be too long. I chose the pressure cook button thinking that it would sense the quantity. Unfortunately the chicken was overcooked. Did I do it wrong?
    The flavour was great.

  19. paige090700@gmail.com
    paige090700@gmail.com says:

    Yummy!
    I didn’t have exactly everything needed, but the flavors were amazing

  20. elysezelunka
    elysezelunka says:

    I just used my instant pot for the 1st time and tried this recipe. I only used 2 large boneless chicken breasts and therefore adjusted the amount of vegetables but not the sauce. I did not want to cook it for 20 minutes since it may be too long, so I tried using the programmed setting ‘pressure cook’ normal. Should I have chosen a different setting. The chicken pieces were hard but the flavour was great.

  21. Instant Pot
    Instant Pot says:

    Hi Elysezelunka,

    The Pressure Cook is a manual program that would need the pressure and cooking time adjusted depending on the food you are cooking.

    The only program that is automatic is the rice program for white or parboiled rice.

  22. OdieJay
    OdieJay says:

    Love this! Very flavorful. Easy to make and the olives make the dish so throw in a couple extra to grow on!

  23. OdieJay
    OdieJay says:

    I made it a few times and found the veggies overcooked for my taste so I cook the chicken for 10 minutes on high then add veggies and cook another 5 minutes on low. Perfect

  24. Mongorians
    Mongorians says:

    Good one. Pressure cooked for 20 min instead.
    Made an alteration where we substituted the olives for capers. Wil have to try this one woth the original ingredients.

  25. EJEngwall
    EJEngwall says:

    I liked it, but I would cut the lemon in half next time. A whole one is just a bit too dominating for my tastes. I may have over-cooked the peppers a bit, too.

  26. j_newman
    j_newman says:

    I cooked it for 12 minutes based on the feedback from the forum and the chicken was still a bit overcooked. Will try 5 to 7 minutes next time. Taste was great. I also left out a bit of the lemon based on feedback from the forum.

  27. fj
    fj says:

    Seems like time is a problem. Has anyone tried leaving chicken whole cook then cut ? I’m thinking cook this way for 15 mins.

  28. Tosbo
    Tosbo says:

    This is a family favourite. Don’t bother satueeing, just throw it all in and cook. Who needs the extra work! So delicious!

  29. e
    e says:

    Your instructions are wrong. 20 minutes on pressure cooking will OBLITERATE your vegetables. I did mine on 7 minutes and it came out fine.

  30. Garth
    Garth says:

    I agree with the rest, with an 8 qt unit, there isn’t any sauce generated leading to the wonderful “Food Burn” display. The picture shows more of a soup but without additional stock, I have no idea how any liquid is generated.

  31. KevinC
    KevinC says:

    I made this tonight and it was awesome! I agree the pressure cooker phase should be only 7 minutes (or even 6). I only added a 1/2 lemon sliced, but I’ll use the full lemon next time. as I’m a sucker for Moroccan food I added diced dried apricots when serving.

  32. Anonymous
    Anonymous says:

    Followed instructions and it was perfect. The vegetables are soft but I think it’s supposed to be that way. I served this on orzo with a crumbling of good quality feta on top. Yum.

  33. Evagildee
    Evagildee says:

    Follow the directions. It comes out perfectly. Remember to PEEL the lemon! You don’t want lemon rind or pithy white part in there! That’s why people are complaining it’s too much lemon. I added a half cup of water because I like sauce, not because it was going to burn. It won’t. I also added about a teaspoon of red pepper flakes because I like heat. Serve over couscous. Consider cutting the olives in half, but not necessary.

  34. Evagildee
    Evagildee says:

    I mean, I literally cut the olives in half, not half the recipe. I actually put extra olives in.

  35. Birgitb
    Birgitb says:

    This is very good! I added about a dozen baby tomatoes which made it soupy (like the picture) and fewer olives. Would add curry next time! Served over rice.

  36. Dale
    Dale says:

    Just made, here are my thoughts…..prep time is longer if you have to pit the olives yourselves. Suggest prepping all items, and then go forward. I don’t think it was worth the time and effort to peel and slice the lemon. The physical presence of a lemon was not there. Next time I will just squeeze the lemon juice and add some lemon zest. Found it also to be very lemon forward, could not taste the sauce. Chicken was a bit dry, I would use chicken thighs instead. And thank goodness I read the comments about cook time; I set for 8 minutes, and peppers and onions still overdone. I have a 6 qt pot, and did not add any extra liquid/stock. The liquid from the veg and sauce was enough. So, quite frankly, I would make this again, but I think I could have done it quicker and had better control over the final product if I just did this in a large skillet on the stkve top. Oh, and someone was !ooking for some heat, I’ll bet the harissa would be great.

  37. Donna
    Donna says:

    After reading the comments here, I cut the cooking time to 10 minutes, which was more than enough. Because I’m paranoid about the burn message coming on, I also added a half a cup of chicken broth, which turned out to be unnecessary. It was still good, although harissa would make it better. I served it over couscous cooked in chicken broth.

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