Moroccan Chicken Tagine
A tagine is a slow-cooked stew combining sweet and savory elements, like dried fruits and harissa. When I was in Marrakesh, I had it every single day with a warm fluffy pita and a side of fresh mint tea—it was heaven!
The dish is the essence of Moroccan cuisine which is distinguished by its Arabic, Berber and French influences. The stew gets its name from the vessel it’s traditionally cooked in which is the tagine: a clay or ceramic shallow dish with a cone-shaped lid. Did you know this style of cooking was featured in the famous One Thousand and One Nights, meaning this goes as far back as the Ninth Century? So, if you’d like to take a sensory trip to Morocco, be sure to try this aromatic stew!
Yields4 servings
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) olive oil, divided
- 10 1/2 oz (300 g) boneless chicken thighs
- 2/3 cup (110 g) chopped red onions
- 1 tablespoon (9 g) minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 1/2 oz (100 g) dried apricots
- 2 1/2 cups (400 g) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup (180 g) chopped plum tomatoes
- 1 cup (240 ml) vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) honey
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
To Serve- 1 tablespoon (4 g) flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- Pita bread
- Mint tea
Directions
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Turn on the rice cooker, set the mode to Cook and add the lid to let the rice cooker preheat for about 1 minute.
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Add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the olive oil to the rice cooker pot and put on the lid. Let the oil heat up for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chicken thighs to the pot and cover it again. Fry them for 3 to 4 minutes, or until they’re lightly browned, before turning them over and frying them, covered, for another 3 to 4 minutes, until the other side is browned. Set them aside.
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Add the remaining tablespoon (15 ml) of oil to the rice cooker pot before adding the onions. Sauté them for a minute and then add the lid. Let them fry for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the onions are softened. Then add in the garlic and sauté for another minute. Next, add in the ground cumin, coriander and cinnamon and fry for 1 to 2 minutes, or until fragrant.
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At this stage, return the chicken back to the pot and throw in the apricots, chickpeas, tomatoes, stock, honey and orange zest. Give it all a good mix. Cover and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the chicken is very tender. Garnish it with parsley and serve with pita and fresh mint tea, just as they do in Marrakesh!
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