Chicken Tagine

Morocco

“Morocco is a mélange of multiple cultures, due to its place at the northern tip of Africa with coastlines on the Atlantic and Mediterranean, which makes it an interesting place to visit. This also means that it has incredible food, a blend of Arab, Andalusian, and Mediterranean cuisines, with slight European (French and Spanish) and sub-Saharan influences. Moroccan cuisine is famed around the world for its flavorful seasoning, incredible variety, and innovative ingredient combinations. Today’s recipe, chicken tagine, highlights all of these attributes. This famous slow-cooked stew gets its name from the clay pot it is cooked in and is wonderful with a side of couscous.”

— Alex LeGore - ActivSport Travel Trip Leader (and Director of Sales)

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 lemon (note: ideally you would use preserved lemons, but these can be difficult to find!)

• 5 cloves garlic, minced

• 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 pounds), trimmed of excess skin and fat

• Salt and ground black pepper

• 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 large yellow onion, halved and cut into 1/4-in-thick slices

• 2 Roma tomatoes, cored and diced

• 1 cup chicken broth

• 2 large or 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick coins

• 1/2 cup Greek cracked green olives, pitted and halved (see note)

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Instructions

1. Combine the spices and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

2. Zest the lemon. Combine 1 teaspoon of the lemon zest with 1 minced garlic clove; set aside.

3. Season both sides of chicken pieces with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

4. Heat olive oil in a tagine pot (a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven also works) over medium-high heat until it is hot. Brown the chicken pieces skin side down in single layer until deep golden, about 5 minutes; using tongs, flip the chicken pieces over and brown the other side, about 4 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a large plate; when cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and discard.

5. Reduce the heat to medium. On the bottom of the tagine dish place the onions, carrots, tomatoes, and garlic. Place chicken back on top and season with the spices. Pour over the olive oil and chicken broth.

6. Cover and cook for 1 hour. The chicken should be tender and have an internal temperature of 165 degrees. You may have to remove some liquid as you go with a baster or ladle if it starts to run over the sides of the tagine base.

7. Stir in the olives, reserved lemon zest-garlic mixture, cilantro, and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice; taste the sauce and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice, if desired. Serve with couscous.

Note: Traditionally, tagine is eaten directly from the pot using Moroccan bread (khobz) to scoop it out.