Fragrant Moroccan-Style Chicken Tagine Recipe

If you've ever had the pleasure of eating a tagine before, you'll know that they are traditionally cooked and served in beautiful, and sometimes ornately decorated, cookware of the same name. Tagines are a type of Moroccan stew that is normally made using meat or fish, which is cooked along with vegetables and fruits in a delicious stew. The cookware they are prepared in, tagines, are most often made of clay and consist of a deep pot with a conical, chimney-shaped lid, which helps to circulate the steam creating deliciously moist, tender food.

However, if you don't happen to have this particular type of cookware knocking around in the back of your kitchen cupboard, don't worry. You can still make this fragrant Moroccan-style chicken tagine without a traditional tagine pot. Instead, you can use a hob-friendly casserole dish, crock pot, or heavy skillet with a lid. This chicken tagine dish, created by recipe developer Jennine Rye, is made using succulent chicken thighs cooked with onions, chickpeas, dried apricots, and black olives in a deliciously spiced and tangy tomato stew.

To make this fragrant Moroccan-style chicken tagine, first you will want to gather the ingredients. You will need chicken thighs, onions, garlic, ras el hanout, chickpeas, canned chopped tomatoes, dried apricots, honey, preserved lemons, chicken stock, black olives, and fresh coriander. As well as this, you will need the kitchen staples: cooking oil, and salt and pepper for seasoning.

This recipe uses preserved lemons which add a wonderful briny, astringent kick to your dish. They are often used in North African cooking and are an important element in this chicken tagine. However, if you can't find any in your local stores, it is possible to substitute this ingredient for fresh lemons, or you could always try making your own preserved lemons at home!

To start your chicken tagine, you will want to brown the chicken. This will give the chicken skin a beautiful color as well as releasing lots of delicious and rich flavors which will enhance the final dish. To do this, heat up the cooking oil in your tagine or chosen cookware, liberally season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper, and then place them skin side down in the hot oil. Allow the chicken to cook in the oil until it has reached a lovely golden color. Turn the thighs over and cook them for a few minutes more on the other side, and then remove the chicken from the pan and set it to one side.

Once the chicken thighs have been removed from the pan, add the sliced onions and cook them in the residual oil. The pan should now be filled with delicious juices from the chicken which will be infused throughout the dish. Cook the onion until it is softened and translucent, and then add the chopped garlic and the ras el hanout: an aromatic spice mix often found in Moroccan cuisine. Allow the spice blend to cook for a minute or two until it is beautifully fragrant, and then add the chickpeas, the canned tomatoes, the dried apricots, the honey, the preserved lemon, and the chicken stock.

Add the golden chicken back into the tagine, nestling it into the tomato stew. Then, place the lid onto the tagine, or your chosen cookware, and allow everything to gently simmer for 30 minutes. At this point, add the olives to the tagine and allow everything to cook together for 10 more minutes. Your tagine is now ready to serve, sprinkled with fresh chopped coriander, and flaked almonds if you want an additional garnish option.

This fragrant Moroccan-style chicken tagine is best served alongside couscous, millet, or rice, to absorb all of the delicious juices from the stew. Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to three days.