Chicken Tagine with Couscous
I was going to post this recipe in a couple of weeks but I made it this weekend and people have been bugging me for the recipe. So here it is!
A “tagine” is an earthenware vessel used in North African cooking (see image below). The purpose of the conical top is to retain moisture in the dish. As the dish cooks, the steam evaporates up into the lid; when it condenses, the water is designed to trickle back down into the dish, keeping it moist.
There are a lot of impostor tagines out there; if you want to purchase one, make sure to buy a tagine with a flat bottom and can withstand oven heat. But it is not necessary; a Dutch oven or regular stock pot with a lid will do just fine!
- 3 tbsp canola oil
- 1 whole chicken, chopped (or 8-10 pcs of chicken, cut into identical sizes)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lg onion, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 ½ tbsp ras el hanout*
- Large pinch saffron, soaked in ¼ cup warm water
- 2 cups canned diced tomatoes (15 oz can) or use ~5 fresh tomatoes
- 2 cups canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained (15 oz can)
- 1 cup dried apricots, sliced into half moons
- ½ cup green olives, sliced in half
- ¼ cup warm water
- ¼ cup parsley, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves
- Salt and pepper
For Couscous:
- 2 cups instant couscous
- 2 cups water
- 2 tbsp butter
- Salt and pepper
- Heat canola oil in a large Dutch oven or tagine over high heat. (In the absence of these items, you may use a large skillet with a lid.) Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides and place in the hot pan, skin side down. Do in batches to avoid crowding. Cook until skin is golden brown. Turn the pieces over and cook for two more minutes. Set aside.
- Add olive oil to pan and heat. Add onions and cook until tender.
- Add the ras el hanout and garlic, mixing well.
- Add saffron with soaking liquid, tomatoes, chickpeas and apricots; bring to a simmer. Nestle the chicken into the mixture, add 1/4 cup of water, reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Wait at least 30 minutes before opening the lid to check on the chicken.
- Separately, make the couscous: bring water to a boil. Off heat, add the couscous and butter. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- To serve: Make a bed of couscous on a platter and arrange chicken mixture on top. Garnish with cilantro and parsley.
- Makes 8 servings
*Ras el hanout is an African mixture of spices. Click here for my own recipe, but you can create your own!
Chicken tagine with couscous
Sample tagine
# # # # # # # #
One Response to “Chicken Tagine with Couscous”
[…] I learned to make harira (lamb soup), b’stilla (meat wrapped with flaky pastry dough) and chicken tagine with couscous (although we didn’t have North African-style couscous, I had to make do with Israeli […]