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
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Recipe overview

What to know before you cook

Use this overview to check the occasion, serving ideas, regional context, and cooking commitment before you begin.

When to cook it

Best for guest lunches, Eid tables, and weekend chicken dinners.. Plan on a medium cook and about 85 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Khobz, rice, couscous, or boiled potatoes.

Regional lane

Algeria national table. A structured 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

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Tajine Zitoun recipe from Algeria
Tajine Zitoun finished dish
Chef board

Build the table around Tajine Zitoun

Khobz, rice, couscous, or boiled potatoes.

Best route from here

Algeria national table

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Servings 6

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How to cook it

Step-by-step method

Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.

Back to Algeria
4 steps 20 min prep 65 min cook 85 min total medium
1
Brown the chicken
Brown chicken with oil, onion, garlic, cinnamon, turmeric, salt, and pepper.
brown 12:00
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.

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