Easy Chicken Tagine
This impressive Moroccan inspired Easy Chicken Tagine is bursting with flavour. Aromatic spices, preserved lemons and chunks of juicy chicken
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 kg chicken thigh fillets (skinless and boneless, bite-sized pieces) (NOTE 1)
- 1 medium brown onion (finely diced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 4cm ginger (or 50gm/1.8oz, finely grated)
- 2 long red chillies (sliced thinly)
- 2 cups salt reduced chicken stock (NOTE 2)
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 preserved lemon (drained, chopped into small pieces) (NOTE 3)
- ½ cup green olives (drained)
- 2 tbsp honey
- salt pepper to taste
For the spice mix
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ ground black pepper
For the topping
- 2 tbsp slivered pistachio
- ⅓ cup finely chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
Instructions
- Slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces and transfer it into a large bowl. Add in the spice mix and use clean hands to rub the mix into the chicken. Cover bowl with plastic film and set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Heat oil in a large deep frying pan or saucepan (a heavy-base pan that comes with a lid) over high heat. Add in the chicken, stirring regularly to sear it but don't fully cook the chicken. Place in the onion, ginger and garlic. Stir regularly for 2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Pour the stock into the pan and bring it to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to medium low and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add in the preserved lemon, chilli, olives and honey. Cook uncovered for another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Have a taste of the tagine and add more salt and pepper if needed, then pour in the lemon juice, stir well to combine. Place the tagine into a serving dish and top it with coriander and pistachio. Serve this delicious easy chicken tagine with couscous.
Notes
(NOTE 1) Chicken - Traditional chicken tagine calls for whole chicken chopped into large pieces. However, in this easy shortcut version, I used boneless and skinless thigh fillets. Chicken breast would also work, but because breasts are a lean cut, it is not as juicy as thighs and may be a little dry.
(NOTE 2) Chicken stock - I prefer using salt-reduced stock in my dishes because it gives me the flexibility to adjust the salt later to my taste. The last thing you want is a dish that ends up being way too salty!
(NOTE 3) Preserved lemons - A jar of preserved lemons was easier to find than I expected. They sold them at my local supermarket near the jars of pickles. If you cannot find preserved lemons, omit them and add in a teaspoon of finely grated lemon rind instead.
A Third-Party Application calculated the calories and nutritional information. Please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 322kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 35gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 158mgSodium: 544mgPotassium: 593mgFiber: 1gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 232IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 42mgIron: 2mg