Quick Chicken Tagine

Ingredients:

• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 (3-inch) pieces lemon zest
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, plus leaves for garnish
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 (14-oz) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, with juices
• 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 20 pitted medium green olives, halved
• Pinch of salt

Makes 4 (1 1/2-cups)

1. On a cutting board, finely chop 1 clove of the garlic together with 1 piece of lemon zest and 1 tablespoon of the parsley to make a rough paste; transfer to a small bowl and set aside. Mince remaining garlic clove and place in another small bowl; mix in coriander, cumin, cinnamon and pepper.
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until lightly browned, 3-4 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.
3. Reduce the heat under the skillet to medium and add onion and spice mixture; Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and spices are aromatic, 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes and their juices and lemon juice, scraping up any brown bits clinging to the skillet; bring to a simmer. Return chicken pieces and their juices to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes. Add zucchini, olives, remaining lemon zest and remaining 2 tbsp parsley; stir gently to combine. Reduce the heat to low,cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through, 10 minutes more. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Divide tagine among 4 bowls, top with reserved parsley paste, and garnish with parsley leaves.

WW POINTS VALUE: 6 PTS

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Taste of Summer Cookbook. It was time for a chicken dish and I wanted to cook something new and the photo in the cookbook looked so delicious I had to try it plus I saw Iron Chef Cat Cora make Lamb Tagine on Iron Chef America. Tagine is a Moroccan stew made with meat or poultry, vegetables, olives and preserved lemon. This dish can be made in under and hour the is smells heavenly when you're cooking it. Tagine is also a spicy dish but a different kind of spicy with the aromatic mixture of coriander, cumin and cinnamon. This is also a very filling dish with the chicken and vegetables. If you don't like olives, you can omit them if you want and it will still be delicious. You could also use turkey or lamb in place of the chicken if you'd like. This dish was so spicy and aromatic it took me back to Morocco it was that good.