Moroccan Chicken Tagine

Moroccan cooks have a light touch with the spices—ginger, cinnamon, cumin—that give their cuisine its identity. This dish calls for saffron, which you should buy in a relatively large amount, such as an ounce, to make it more affordable. If you decide to add the olives, be sure to use good-quality ones, rather than bland canned ripe olives. Serve the chicken and its wonderfully light sauce with rice or couscous in warmed soup plates.