Chicken Tagine

A flavorful Chicken Tagine recipe featuring tender chicken thighs, dried apricots, and aromatic spices, perfect for a cozy meal.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 35

Resting Time 5

Total Time 1 10

Course main dish

Cuisine Moroccan

Servings servings

Calories 604 kcal

Equipment

large deep skillet or pot

Ingredients

1 cup dried apricot halved
6 x 220g chicken thighs bone-in skin-on
¾ teaspoon salt cooking/kosher salt
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion brown/yellow, cut into 0.3 cm/1/8" slices
2 cloves garlic finely minced
1 stick cinnamon sub ½ teaspoon powder
400 g crushed tomato 1 can
400 g canned chickpeas drained
1 tablespoon preserved lemon skin finely minced
2 ½ cups chicken stock low-sodium or homemade
1 teaspoon cooking salt
¾ teaspoon ground cumin
¾ teaspoon ground ginger
¾ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon allspice powder
¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder
¼ teaspoon coriander powder
⅛ teaspoon clove powder
2 tablespoon fresh coriander roughly chopped
1 cup kalamata olives instead of apricots
⅓ cup slivered almonds lightly toasted, for garnish

Instructions

Soak the dried apricots in a bowl of boiling water for 30 minutes, then drain (this plumps them up).
Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with the salt.
Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet or pot over high heat. Place chicken in the skillet skin side down and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until deep golden. Turn and cook the flesh side for 1 minute then remove to a plate.
Discard all but 2 tablespoons of fat in the skillet. Reduce heat to medium. Add onions and cook for 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the Ras el hanout and stir for 30 seconds.
Add the cinnamon stick, tomato, chickpeas, plumped apricots, stock and preserved lemon, then stir. Place the chicken on top, skin side up.
Bring the liquid to a simmer then cover with a lid. Cook for 5 minutes, adjusting the heat as needed so the liquid is simmering (but not too rapidly else base may catch).
Remove lid then cook for a further 20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken is at least 70°C/158°F.
Remove from stove and rest for 5 minutes. Serve over couscous, sprinkled with fresh coriander.

Notes

Dried fruit like apricots and figs are sometimes added to traditional tagines. You can leave dried apricots out or substitute with olives. Best chicken cut for tagine is bone-in, skin-on thighs for juiciness. Preserved lemon can also enhance the dish's authenticity but is optional.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 604kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 37gFat: 37gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 167mgSodium: 1477mgPotassium: 1086mgFiber: 8gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 1177IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 123mgIron: 4mg

Keyword Chicken Recipe, Chicken Tagine, Moroccan chicken, One-Pot Meal, spiced chicken, tagine