Moroccan Chicken Tagine
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This Moroccan chicken tagine recipe features tender chicken, butternut squash, dried apricots, raisins, almonds, and a whole host of Moroccan flavors that come together to create a highly fragrant and unforgettably delicious dish! This chicken tagine is naturally gluten-free and dairy-free and I’ve included instructions for making a vegan chicken tagine.
Moroccan cuisine is considered to be one of the most diversified cuisines in the world. This is because for centuries Morocco has been very interactive with other nations and has embraced and integrated many different cultural influences, not only in its foods but its art, music and literature. One of Morocco’s top priorities has been to protect and preserve its diverse legacy and culture. Moroccan cuisine is primarily Berber-Moorish, but is also influenced by Europe and the Mediterranean in some of its techniques and flavors. Spices are used extensively in Moroccan cooking. Meats, vegetables and dried fruits are a common food combination, as represented in today’s dish. While beef and lamb are eaten, chicken is the most widely eaten meat in Morocco. The national dish is couscous topped with meat and vegetables.
This chicken tagine recipe utilizes traditional Moroccan ingredients and spices. Chicken, squash, dried apricots, raisins, almonds, honey, a variety of spices, and harissa – a fiery Moroccan chili paste. Delicious as a vegetarian option as well (see recipe). Make this Moroccan Tagine for your family or dinner guests, and they are sure to be impressed. And if you really want a conversation piece, purchase and serve it in a tagine (where the name of the dish comes from). See note below. Enjoy some Moroccan music in the background and have a discussion about culture, art, life! Or imagine bringing this to a potluck…can you just hear the “ooh’s” and “ahhh’s”!
What is a Tagine?
The name tagine refers to both the food as well as the pot in which the food is traditionally cooked. A tagine is a special North African pot formed entirely of a heavy clay, which is often painted or glazed. It consists of a base where the food is placed and a large cone/dome-shaped lid that is designed to promote the return of all condensation to the bottom. The clay construction allows for even heat distribution and low and slow cooking to make the food moist and flavorful. With the cover removed, the base can be taken to the table for serving. For this recipe I’m using a Dutch oven which is likewise ideally suited for slow cooking.
How to Season and Care for a Ceramic Tagine:
If you’re using your new tagine for the first time, it needs to be “cured” prior to its first use to prevent it from cracking. To do this:
- Soak your tagine in water overnight or up to 24 hours, making sure it is submerged under water (you can do this in the sink or bathtub. After it has soaked, wipe it dry and let it air dry for a couple of hours.
- Rub it down everywhere with olive oil, inside and out (both the lid and base), not so it’s dripping but so it’s well-coated.
- Place the tagine in the oven, set the temperature to 300 F / 150 C, and let it “cure” in the oven for 2 hours. Turn off the oven and leave the tagine inside until it is fully cooled. Do not remove it until it has cooled completely.
- Remove the tagine from the oven and give it another light brushing all over with olive oil. Let it sit and soak in the oil for at least another hour or two.
- Your tagine is ready to use.
Tagines should always be washed by hand, dried, and then rubbed with a little olive oil. When washing use warm water, not hot or cold. To avoid it cracking, make sure to avoid any sudden changes in temperature (going from cold to hot or vice versa), such as placing a cold tagine in a hot oven or over a high flame on the stovetop.
To cook with your tagine, you can use it in the oven, place it directly on an electric stovetop, or place it on a metal diffuser on top of a gas stovetop.
Chicken Tagine Ingredients
Let’s talk about about a couple of key Moroccan ingredients in this chicken tagine recipe that add a very distinct flavor to the dish:
- Harissa: Harissa is a fiery Tunisian chile paste that is also commonly used in Moroccan cooking. It’s comprised of dried chiles, olive oil, garlic and spices. I always make my own because it’s super easy to and it tastes far better than anything store-bought. Grab my recipe for homemade Harissa. Alternatively you can use a regular chili paste as a substitute to give you some color and a little kick.
- Preserved Lemons: This is another integral ingredient in this Moroccan chicken tagine and to Moroccan cooking at large. They completely transform every dish in which they’re used. It’s an ultra concentrated and wonderfully mellow lemon flavor without the sourness. And they’re SO easy to make, not to mention incredibly versatile. Again, store-bought cannot begin to compare in flavor to homemade. Get my recipe for homemade Preserved Lemons.
Other key ingredients that capture that authentic Moroccan flavor are:
- Dried Fruits: We’re using dried apricots and raisins.
- Nuts: We’re using slivered almonds. They look elegant and they are sturdy enough to hold their shape (unlike flaked almonds) and provide that nice contrasting crunch.
- Onions, Garlic and Ginger: Highly fragrant and flavorful, they’re a must.
- Spices: turmeric, cumin, coriander and cinnamon add wonderful depth of flavor.
- Honey: this touch of sweetness is very Moroccan and also balances the spiciness of the harissa.
- Chicken, Butternut Squash, Garbanzo Beans: This forms the bulk of the chicken tagine. I love the butteriness of butternut squash but you can use any winter squash of your choice, such as acorn or pumpkin.
This incredible interplay of sweet, savory, citrusy and spicy is integral to Moroccan cuisine and makes this chicken tagine absolutely magical.
Serving Recommendations
This Moroccan chicken tagine is a complete meal in and of itself, but it is traditionally served with couscous. Couscous is very tiny pasta grains and is easy to prepare: simply boil two cups of water, add a vegetable or chicken bouillon cube (or salt) along with 2 tablespoons of butter and stir until dissolved. While the water is still boiling, add two cups of couscous, cover the pan, and turn off the heat. Let it sit for 10 minutes and then fluff with a fork. It’s ready to serve!
Moroccan Tagine + Fluffy Couscous = Heaven. Why did they never teach us that equation in math class?
Chicken Tagine Recipe
Let’s get started!
* If using a tagine: Transfer everything to the tagine after adding the butternut squash. Place the tagine with the lid on in a cold oven, set the temperature to 325 F / 160 C, and cook for at least 1 to 1 1/2 hours. At that point check to see if the squash is soft and if not, continue baking until it is. Be sure to follow the instructions in the blog post above to properly season it prior to its first use.
In a Dutch oven or heavy pot, saute the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and saute for another 2 minutes. Add the chicken and the dry spices. Stir to combine and cook for 3-5 minutes until the chicken is no longer pink.
Add the harissa, apricots, raisins, almonds, broth, bouillon cubes, honey, preserved lemon and garbanzo beans. Stir everything to combine. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the butternut squash, stir to thoroughly combine, return to a simmer, reduce the heat to low again, cover and simmer for another 25 minutes or until the butternut squash is fork-tender. Add salt to taste.
Transfer the chicken tagine to a warmed serving dish and top with extra slivered almonds. Serve with couscous.
Enjoy!
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Moroccan Chicken Tagine
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion , diced
- 1 tablespoon fresh garlic , minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger , grated
- 1 lb chicken breast , diced (vegetarian/vegan: use 3 extra cups squash and an extra can of garbanzo beans)
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup chicken broth (vegetarian/vegan: use vegetable broth)
- 15 ounce can garbanzo beans , drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon harissa , or less if you prefer less spicy (can substitute other red chili paste)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey (vegan: substitute agave or brown rice syrup)
- 1/3 cup dried apricots , chopped
- 1/3 cup raisins
- 1/3 cup slivered almonds
- 1/2 preserved lemon , click link for recipe (fresh lemons are not a substitute)
- 4 cups butternut squash , or sweet potatoes or pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cut into bite sized pieces
- salt to taste
- extra slivered almonds for garnishing
- For the Couscous:
- 2 cups chicken broth (vegetarian/vegan: use vegetable broth)
- 2 tablespoons butter (vegans: use oil)
- 2 cups couscous
Instructions
- * If using a tagine: Transfer everything to the tagine after adding the butternut squash. Place the tagine with the lid on in a cold oven, set the temperature to 325 F / 160 C, and cook for at least 1 to 1 1/2 hours. At that point check to see if the squash is soft and if not, continue baking until it is. Be sure to follow the instructions in the blog post to properly season it prior to its first use. Note, the cooking time for this recipe applies to the stovetop Dutch oven method.Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and saute for another 2 minutes. Add the chicken, turmeric, coriander, cumin, and cinnamon, stir to combine, and saute until the chicken is no longer pink.Add the broth, chickpeas, harissa, honey, apricots, raisins, almonds, and preserved lemon. Stir to combine. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.Add the butternut squash, stir to combine, return to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for another 25 minutes, or until the squash is fork-tender.Garnish with some slivered almonds and serve with the couscous.This will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To make the Couscous:Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the butter and bouillon cubes and stir until dissolved. While the water is still boiling, add the couscous. Turn off the heat, cover, and let stand for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet February 15, 2013
We Loved it!
I was surprised it wasn’t hotter with all that harisa in! I may well put more in next time, and there will be a next time.
I threw some garlic stuffed olives in also as almost every meal we had in Morocco seem to have them (olives of some type or other) in and we quite got used to them.
I used a preserved lemon from a jar (the lemons are quite small) and again, i think i will increase to two lemons next time.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Cliff, thank you! The garlic stuffed olives sound like a great addition.
I just found your site by chance. Since visiting Morocco I have been on a bit of a Tagine mission so your recipe is definitely happening this week!
I thought I would mention for (your readers) that you can buy a diffuser for putting tagines on when using a (gas) stove so there isn’t any direct heat from flames on the pottery.
They even do one to go on induction hobs so you can use one (a bit more expensive)
Go on ebay and type cooker diffuser. They are very low cost.
I’m glad you found us, Cliff. Thanks for the info about the diffuser, I’m sure that will be helpful to our readers. I recently switched from gas to induction (I have mixed feelings about it but that’s another topic), I’ll take a look at what the options are. Thanks again and I hope you enjoy this tagine recipe – happy cooking!
Can I use Ras El Hanout only instead of all the other spices? I can’t wait to make this dish. The only restaurant anywhere near me that made authentic chicken tangine (rarely) closed, and I’ve been craving it since. Thanks for publishing this recipe!
That would be a good substitute. It has the same spices plus some additional ones, so the resulting dish will have a little different flavor profile but that’s not a bad thing.
If you are interested in substituting Ras El Hanout, how much quanitity (Tbs or tsp’s) would you use as a sub for the ingredients you have already listed?
Hi, do you have any suggestions on where and what kind of tagine pot to buy? I have seen some that are pretty and good only for serving, some that have cast iron bases, some look authentic with the colors and patterns – so in a nutshell its confusing :-)
ok so my tangine arrived from morocco, it is so small, it would just make a small meal for one, rather disappointed,
Hi Starleen, yes tagines come in all difference sizes and it’s impossible to tell from pictures what size they are. That’s happened to me before too, so I’m always very careful now to check the dimensions.
Instead of preserved lemons, I cut up a lemon, add some salt and a tiny bit of water and stew on a very very low heat, watching all the time to make sure it doesn’t burn and topping up the water if necessary. I find it works as well as preserved lemon. I can’t wait to try this recipe as I love Moroccan food.
I hope you enjoy this recipe, Judy, please let us know what you think!
I think this looks fabulous…I just wonder why it is not cooked in a tagine..I thought that a tagine pot was used to develop the flavors? Sorry for the naive question, perhaps it doesn’t matter…
Thanks, Debi. Simply because most people don’t have a tagine. But for those who do I’ve included those directions in the “Notes” section.
I’m making this for a little get together tomorrow night with some friends. I have prepared everything up to but not including the squash, just to make my own life easier. Hopefully the flavours will intensify and blend overnight and the squash will be the right consistency. I also doubled the recipe as there will be 8 or 10 for dinner. I’ll update with results in a couple of days
Hi Steve, that’s a good way to approach it and yes, the flavors should intensify. What I would probably do tomorrow is, instead of re-cooking everything with the squash, I would cook the diced squash separately and then add it to the rest of the dish, then reheat everything together – otherwise you run the risk of overcooking the rest of the dish. Yes, please let us know how it goes!
The flavors of this dish are exquisite! I cooked the entire dish in a traditional clay tagine on top of the stove on low for the same length of time as if in a oven. I had two smallish egplants which I sliced and added along with the sweet potato and the entire dish is definitely “company worthy” for your pickiest “foodie ” friends! My husband purred!
Fantastic! I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed this as much as we do, thank you!
Hi Kimberly, I’m confused. We also brought a tagine from Morocco and keen to use it. I get the priming of the new tagine, however I don’t get the transferring it to a tagine at step 4, as it’s where you serve up your recipe. Does this mean that if it takes another 1.5 hours and checking that it’s all cooked, means that your method means some content will be under-cooked?
It’s probably me or some ambiguity.
Hi Henk, I’m sorry about that, I meant to say Step 3.
yes very confusing! might be worth updating the recipe?
I’m also confused. I got a used tagine from a restaurant I ate at in Morocco. It’s seasoned. But they served the couscous under the chicken. I have been scouring recipes looking for one that uses that method and can’t find one.
What vegetable can I substitute for squash? I am allergic to it!
Hi Mary Lou, sweet potato is a perfect substitute.
Do you put the preserved lemon in whole and then remove or do you chop it?
Hi Debra! No, you first rinse it, remove and discard the flesh, then chop the it up before adding it. Happy cooking!
Hey Kimberly!
Do you remember where you purchased the pretty tagine? I’m reluctant to buy them online because I want a set for individuals at the table, but the size designations are poorly defined. I don’t want to have to return them. So… any advice or sources are greatly appreciated!
Hi Evelyn, this particular one was actually a Goodwill find!! :) I have two others that I bought at World Market. They’ve had some really cute ones in the past, I’m not sure what their current selection is. I’m not sure if they have individual ones either but it’s worth checking.
This is one of my favorite dishes, I eat tagine almost twice a week. what I love about it is you can make it with a verity of veggies and also you can choose your own meat and fish. I hope more recipes will be coming this way because we love your postings :)
I wholeheartedly agree, Sara. And thank you so much, I really appreciate it! :)
It looks so amazing and delicious. I cannot wait to try this at home. Great Job.
Thanks, Alona!