Tagines & slow-cooked
Poulet Kdra (Chicken Kdra with Almonds)
دجاج قدرة · djāj qdra
Kdra is a different tagine family altogether: instead of tomato or the mqalli onion-ginger base, chicken is gently braised in butter, plenty of saffron and softened onion, often with almonds, chickpeas or raisins added for texture, producing a pale, mellow, faintly sweet sauce rather than a red or golden one. It is considered one of Morocco's most refined tagine styles, closely tied to the cooking of Fez.
- Origin
- Fez
- Type
- Butter-braised chicken tagine
- Eaten at
- Family meals, guests
- Key flavour
- Butter, saffron, almond, sweet onion
What Poulet Kdra is
Chicken pieces are browned lightly in butter, then braised with a large quantity of finely sliced or grated onion, plenty of saffron and a little water, cooked until the onion collapses into the sauce and turns it a pale gold. There is no tomato and, typically, less of the punchy ginger-and-garlic character of mqalli.
Toward the end, toasted almonds go in whole or halved, and some versions add chickpeas or a scatter of raisins, giving the finished tagine a soft sweetness and a little crunch against the tender chicken.
Origin & story
Kdra is closely associated with Fez, Morocco's old imperial capital and a byword for refined, courtly cooking, where butter and saffron rather than tomato and chilli were the marks of an elegant kitchen. It represents a more delicate register than the everyday olive-and-lemon chicken tagine.
Because butter and saffron are comparatively costly, kdra historically read as a dish for guests and special family occasions rather than the cheapest everyday option, though it remains simple enough to cook at home.
Key ingredients at a glance
- Chicken, jointed
- Butter
- A large quantity of onion
- Saffron
- Whole blanched almonds
- Chickpeas or raisins (optional)
- White pepper and salt
This is a flavour snapshot, not a recipe.
When & how it's eaten
Kdra is served in its tagine, eaten with bread exactly like other tagines, though its milder, sweeter sauce is often appreciated more slowly than a punchier mqalli or tomato tagine.
It suits a family lunch with guests present, since its refinement and use of butter and saffron signal a bit more care than the most everyday dishes.
Regional variations
Some versions add small onions cooked whole, others fold in chickpeas for more body; the almond quantity and whether raisins appear are the main points of difference between households.
It stands apart from both djaja mqalli and the tomato-based mchermel family as Morocco's third great savoury tagine tradition, prized for its subtlety.
Where to try it in Marrakech
Kdra is less common on simple café menus than olive-and-lemon chicken, so look to traditional restaurants serving a fuller Moroccan repertoire, particularly those with roots in Fassi cooking.
A tagine cooking class that covers the different sauce families will usually include kdra alongside mqalli and mchermel — read more about the distinctions in the guides.
Frequently asked questions
What is kdra in Moroccan cooking?
A tagine sauce built on butter, onion and saffron without tomato, typically finished with almonds, chickpeas or raisins — milder and more delicate than tomato-based tagines.
Is kdra the same as mqalli?
No. Both skip tomato, but mqalli leans on ginger, garlic, preserved lemon and olives, while kdra is built on butter, a large quantity of onion, saffron and often almonds.
Where does poulet kdra come from?
It is closely associated with Fez, Morocco's old imperial city known for refined, saffron-and-butter cooking.