Moroccan Chicken Tagine Chicken braised in a rich spice-infused sauce studded with chickpeas and dried apricots.
Serve overcouscousfor an authentic eating experience.
After youve made this, tryLambandVegetable Tagine!
Browned chicken cutlets for tagine
There are many varieties of tagines.
Meat, fish and all manner of vegetables can make their way into this stew.
Today Ive picked a Moroccan chicken tagine with dried apricots and chickpeas.
You dont need an actual tagine to make this were going to use a boring old pot!
While you could buy pre-made blends, the balance of flavours can be unpredictable from brand to brand.
Its so much better to make your own for a consistent outcome and its cheaper too!
Browned chicken cutlets for tagine
Chicken legsare a terrific alternative.
Ive popped directions in the notes.
Ras el hanout The spice blend for tagine, made with common spices you may already have!
Homemade Ras el hanout spice mix for tagine
you could buy blends but I prefer to make my own to get the right balance of flavours.
Ive offered a few switch-out options in the recipe notes!
Cinnamon stick Added to the sauce as it simmers for a beautiful perfume and flavour.
I love the scent cinnamon this adds to the dish!
Ive opted for fruit because its one of the few dishes I love that pairs fruit with meat!
Let one or the other shine, I say!
Preserved lemon – Gives tagines a touch of authenticity!
However, the recipe includes the olive option too.
Chickpeas Chickpeas add some more heft to the dish.
I just use canned for convenience but Ive popped directions in the notes for cooking dried.
Other beans, like cannelloni and butter beans, make fair substitutes, as do lentils.
Garlic and onion Essential for the sauce flavour base.
Its rare to see saucy recipes on this website that dont start with these!!
Canned tomato For the sauce base.
Not strictly traditional but I love how it thickens the sauce so it clings to the couscous better.
Without, the sauce is very watery in consistency.
While traditional tagines are supposed to be like that, I prefer a stewy sauce!
Chicken stock To add depth to the sauce.
If you just use water, youll find the sauce a bit bland.
Prevent screen from sleeping
For convenience, I typically use store-bought buthomemade chicken stockwould take this to another level.
Also,vegetable stockwould be a good substitute.
Coriander / cilantro A fresh garnish.
Recommended, but not a deal-breaker if youre one of those people who cant stand coriander.
Preserved lemon An ingredient used in Moroccan and some Indian cooking that is often used in traditional tagines.
Accidentally omitted from the ingredients photo above, so Im giving it air time with a big photo!
Preserved lemon is lemon simply pickled in salt.
How to use preserved lemon:We only use the rind as this is where all the flavour is!
Rinse the rind thoroughly under tap water to remove excess salt then finely mince it with a knife.
Plump up apricots Cover the dried apricots with boiling water then leave for 30 minutes to plump up.
Brown chicken Season the chicken with salt and pepper and brown the skin really well in a pan.
This takes a good 8 to 10 minutes.
Dont shortcut this step!
Once the skin side is nicely browned, sear the other side for just 1 minute then remove.
The chicken wont be cooked through at this stage.
We will finish cooking it in the sauce.
Saute aromatics and spices Saute the onion and garlic, then cook off the spices briefly.
Sauteing spices before adding liquids is a good tip for releasing more flavour from the spices.
It certainly does for tagines!
Tagine sauce Add the chickpeas, apricot, tomato, preserved lemon, stock and cinnamon stick.
Stir, then bring it to a simmer.
Top with chicken Just place the chicken on top, skin side up.
Simmer covered 5 minutes Adjust the heat as needed so its simmering gently.
Not too rapidly else the base of the pot will scorch.
Serving!Tagine is traditionally served overcouscous.
What to serve with Chicken Tagine
Couscous
Tagine is frequently servedovercouscous.
Youll find various flavouring options in thecouscous recipe.
Evenmashed potatoormashed cauliflowerwould be great.
Just something to slop up all that delicious sauce!
If youre attempting the low carb thing, thenCauliflower Ricewill work well too.
Love to know what you think if you try this!
