Moroccan Chicken Tagine

Mmmm, Moroccan chicken tagine, my new favourite dish! The slow cooking of this dish allows the moisture in this dish to be reabsorbed into the chicken and the vegetables leaving you with a complexity of flavours and moist chicken. This dish is full of flavour to savour and will keep your guests coming back for more!

The original recipe by Mark Bitten can be found HERE. Mark says to enjoy this over couscous, I put it over quinoa, but rice would work well too.

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RECIPE

• Name: Moroccan Chicken Tagine

• Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons corn or canola oil

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 large onion peeled and thinly sliced

• 2 cloves garlic minced

• Salt

• Pinch nutmeg

• teaspoon ½ ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon ground coriander

• teaspoon ½ ground black pepper

• Pinch cayenne

• 1 cups ½ to 2 chopped tomatoes canned are fine; drain excess liquid

• 4 cups chickpeas canned are fine; drain and rinse first

• cup ½ raisins or chopped pitted dates

• ½ vanilla bean

• 8 in chicken thighs or 4 leg-thigh pieces, cut 2

• Chopped cilantro or parsley leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Put oil and butter in a large skillet or casserole, which can be covered later, and turn heat to medium high. When butter melts, add onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it softens, 5 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, a large pinch of salt and spices. Cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, chickpeas, raisins and vanilla, and bring to a boil. (If mixture is very dry, add about 1/2 cup water.) Taste, and add salt as necessary.

2. Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt, and nestle them into sauce. Cover, and 5 minutes later adjust heat so mixture simmers steadily. Cook until chicken is very tender, 45 minutes to an hour. Taste, and adjust seasoning. Then garnish, and serve with couscous.

3. Enjoy!