Showing:

Recipes >

Chicken Tagine

Ingredients

  • 8 small chicken thighs, bone in, skin on (approx. 3 pounds total)
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
  • 1½ tablespoons ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 5 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion sliced 1/8 inch thin
  • ½ cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
  • ½ cup + 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 can (14 oz) chick peas, drained
  • 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
  • 1½ preserved lemons, rinsed, pulp removed, cut into strips 1/8th inch wide
  • 1 cup kalamata olives

Prep Time:

3½ hours

Cook Time:

1 hour

Serves:

—

A tagine is a spicy Moroccan stew typically made with meat or poultry; it is also the name of the cone-shaped vessel traditionally used to cook the dish.

Part of our Holiday Gifts for Food Lovers series.

Why try? The exotic aromas and comforting flavors of this delicious tagine will transport you to North Africa’s Mediterranean shores with every bite.

Though the number of ingredients in this recipe may appear daunting, the dish can be assembled quickly. Only the onion, preserved lemons, cilantro and parsley require knife work; the rest of the work is just measuring. All the ingredients should be available at your local supermarket with the exception of the preserved lemons, which may be purchased at specialty stores or can be easily prepared at home (though they can take weeks to become fully preserved). Click here for Preserved Lemons recipe.

This is a great dish to serve company. The combination of spices is a bit off the beaten path, so it will please the foodies on your guest list. However, all the flavors are familiar, so it won’t scare off any guests with conservative palates.

Foodie Byte: To reduce the spicy-heat of this dish, cut back on the cayenne pepper. Though the tagine is a one-pot meal, it is even more delicious served over basmati rice or couscous.

Copyright 2008. The Food Channel®. All Rights Reserved. For permission to use in a printed cookbook or commercial website, please contact Editor.
TAGS: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Preparation

  1. Rinse chicken, pat dry and set aside.
  2. Mix together salt, coriander, cinnamon, cumin, cayenne pepper, black pepper, turmeric and garlic powder. Stir in 5 tablespoons olive oil. Coat chicken with spice/oil mixture, place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 3 hours.
  3. Remove chicken from marinade, reserving any marinade left on the plate.
  4. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown chicken on both sides, in batches if necessary, approximately 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a clean plate.
  5. Add onions to the Dutch oven and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Add reserved marinade, parsley, ½ cup of cilantro, lemon juice, chick peas, tomatoes, preserved lemons, olives and reserved chicken. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover.
  6. Cook until chicken is falling off the bone, approximately 60 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste and sprinkle with remaining cilantro. Serve 2 thighs and a few large spoonfuls of the chunky sauce per person. Serve over basmati rice or couscous if desired.