Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons and Walnut Chermoula

Instructions

Cut the chicken breasts in half, diagonally.   In a small bowl, mix together 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, cumin, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, olive oil, cilantro and garlic. Rub the chicken with the mixture. Let sit in the refrigerator covered for 1 hour. Combine the tomatoes with ½ teaspoons salt. Place half of the tomatoes, half of the bell pepper and half of the preserved lemons on the bottom of a tagine or heavy stewing pot. Place the chicken on top. Top with the bell peppers, then preserved lemons and tomatoes. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to the heat to medium low and simmer 20 minutes.

To serve, spoon the chicken, vegetables and sauce into soup bowls and place a spoonful of the Walnut Chermoula onto the top.

Walnut Chermoula
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
½ cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
4 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup roasted and chopped walnuts

In a blender or food processor, puree the cumin, paprika, turmeric, cayenne, garlic, cilantro, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper until smooth.  Add the walnuts and set aside.