1
Brown the chicken
Brown chicken with oil, onion, garlic, cinnamon, turmeric, salt, and pepper.
brown
12:00
Algeria | Main dish
Tajine Zitoun
Algerian chicken and green olive stew with carrots, onion, lemon, cinnamon, and a lightly thickened sauce.
Country
Algeria
Region
North Africa
Time
85 min
Serves
6
Level
medium
Recipe overview
What to know before you cook
Tajine zitoun is Algeria's olive-stew showpiece: chicken simmered with onion, carrots, spices, and briny green olives until the sauce turns glossy and balanced. It is elegant enough for guests but practical enough for family lunch.
What the dish tastes like
Algerian chicken and green olive stew with carrots, onion, lemon, cinnamon, and a lightly thickened sauce.
When to cook it
Best for Best for guest lunches, Eid tables, and weekend chicken dinners., with a medium cooking level and about 85 minutes total.
What to serve alongside it
Khobz, rice, couscous, or boiled potatoes.
Regional lane
Algeria national table. A verified Algeria dish in the AfroKitchen archive.
Chef watch-outs
- Stopping the base before the pepper, onion, or spice edge has mellowed.
- Thinning the pot before the body of the soup or stew has developed.
- Rushing the base before the raw edge has cooked out.
How you know it is ready
- The sauce should coat the spoon and taste rounded, not watery or raw.
- The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.
- Oil, sauce, broth, or steam should look settled and deliberate.
Recipe photos
See the dish before you cook
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Chef board
Build the table around Tajine Zitoun
Khobz, rice, couscous, or boiled potatoes.
Best route from here
Algeria national table
Collections to keep cooking
How to cook it
Step-by-step method
Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.
4 steps
85 min total
medium
2
Simmer
Add water to halfway cover, then simmer until the chicken is tender.
simmer
35:00
3
Add carrots and olives
Add carrots and blanched olives and cook until the carrots are tender and the sauce is savory.
olive cook
15:00
4
Gloss the sauce
Stir in lemon juice and a little cornstarch slurry, then simmer until lightly thickened.
finish
04:00
Some versions include mushrooms, meatballs, preserved lemon, or a flour and lemon liaison to finish the sauce.