Moroccan Chicken Tagine
Dairy free, Egg free, Iron rich, Nut free, Protein rich, Soy free
About the recipe
This is a dish that’s bursting with flavour and goodness—Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Apricots and Chickpeas. This is a fantastic one-pot wonder that’s all about those beautiful, vibrant flavours and, guess what? It’s loaded with gut-loving bone broth, too!
I like to serve this dinner on a bed of fluffy couscous – I used a chickpea couscous here which is gluten-free and high in protein, soaking up all that gorgeous broth and flavour. And don’t forget the finishing touches—a dollop of zesty cumin yogurt and a drizzle of herby oil to really elevate the whole dish.
Age Appropriate:
Suitable from 6 months
Purée: Blend until completely smooth.
BLW: Flatten chickpeas, shred chicken or serve drumstick with any loose cartilage/fat removed. Mix some of the liquid or yoghurt through couscous to reduce mess.
Serving Suggestions:
Serve over couscous, quinoa, rice or mashed root vegetables. Finish with cumin yoghurt and herby oil if desired.
Storage for Freezer and Fridge:
Fridge: Keeps for 3 days.
Freezer: Up to 3 months.
Ingredients
For the tagine
1/2 cup sulphite free dried apricots halved
8 chicken drumsticks or chicken thighs
1 onion finely sliced
4 cloves garlic minced
1 TBSP tallow, ghee or olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp turmeric
400 grams canned chickpeas drained and rinsed
400 grams tinned tomatoes diced
2 cups bone broth or chicken stock
To serve (optional)
2 cups couscous i used chickpea couscous
2 cups bone broth or chicken stock or water
1/2 cup greek yoghurt
1 tsp ground cumin
Herby oil (optional)
1/4 cup parsley/mint/basil/coriander (or any soft herbs) finely chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon zest and juice
1 clove garlic minced
sea salt and black pepper to taste
Method
Tagine
Add the dried apricots to a bowl and cover with boiling water, allow to plump up whilst you prepare the rest of the meal.
Heat the tallow/ghee/olive oil in a large skillet or pot (see notes) over high heat. Place chicken in the pot skin cook, turning occasionally for 8 to 10 minutes until deep golden, then remove to a plate.
Add the chopped onion to the pot and sauté until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
Add the ground cumin, coriander, cinnamon, paprika, ginger, and turmeric to the pot. Stir well to coat the onions and garlic in the spices, cooking for about 1-2 minutes to release their flavours.
Add the bone broth to the pot, and scrape the bottom to get all that good flavour off the pan. Drain your apricots, then add to the pan with the chickpeas, and diced tomatoes. Stir, then add your chicken drumsticks back into the pot on top of the mixture.
Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Let it simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
Serve the chicken tagine over a bed of fluffy couscous. If desired, add a dollop of cumin yogurt and a drizzle of herby oil for extra flavour.
To serve – couscous
While the tagine is simmering, prepare the couscous. General rule of thumb is 1 cup liquid to 1 cup couscous.
Heat the bone broth (or liquid of choice) until bubbling in a saucepan. Once hot, take off the heat and add the couscous. Shake the pot around until the couscous is all covered with the liquid, then put a lid or plate on top of the pan and let it sit for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, fluff up the couscous with a fork.
cumin yoghurt
Add yoghurt and cumin to a bowl and stir to combine.
Herby oil
combine all ingredients in a small bowl.
Ingredient Swaps & Notes
SPICE MIX – If you have Ras El Hanout you can substitute all the spices for 3 tsps of this.
PAN SIZE – If you have an actual tagine then use this! I used a 30cm wide, shallow cast iron casserole dish. If your pot doesn’t have a lid just use some foil for the simmering step.
For the chicken you can either offer on the drumstick – just remove any loose cartilage/fat/grissly bits before serving. Or you can take off the bone and shred if you prefer.
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