Chicken Tagine With Potatoes And Peas Morocco North Africa Recipes

ONE-POT MOROCCAN CHICKEN TAGINE

Steps:

• Mix the spices together in a small bowl. Set aside for later.
• Heat olive oil in a very large skillet (ideally one with a heavy bottom, and for which you have a lid) and swirl to coat. Brown chicken on each side until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Season with some salt and remove from the skillet onto a plate.
• In the same skillet, cook the onions until softened, about 2-3 minutes. Add garlic, cook for 30 seconds. Stir in spices and cook for another 30 seconds, stirring.
• Reduce heat to low. Stir in crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, honey, chicken peas, lemon, raisins, and olives.
• Nest chicken into the sauce, cover with the lid and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, flipping the chicken from time to time so all sides soak up the sauce. Once the chicken is cooked through, turn off the heat and serve with couscous and lots of cilantro.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN TAGINE

Steps:

• Combine the spices in a small bowl and set aside. Zest the lemon. Combine 1 teaspoon of the lemon zest with 1 minced garlic clove; set aside.
• Season both sides of chicken pieces with 2 teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or pan over medium-high heat until beginning to smoke. Brown the chicken pieces skin side down in single layer until deep golden, about 5 minutes; using tongs, flip the chicken pieces over and brown the other side, about 4 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a large plate; when cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and discard. Pour off and discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan.
• Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until they have browned at the edges but still retain their shape, 5 to 7 minutes (add a few tablespoons of water now and then if the pan gets too dark). Add the remaining minced garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the spices and flour and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the broth, honey, remaining lemon zest, and ¼ teaspoon salt, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Add the chicken (with any accumulated juices) back in, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add the carrots, cover, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the carrots are tender-crisp, about 10 minutes more.
• Stir in the olives, reserved lemon zest-garlic mixture, cilantro, and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice; taste the sauce and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice, if desired. Serve with couscous.
• Note: Don't fret too much over trimming the chicken thighs. The skin gets removed midway through the cooking process and most of the fat will cook off and get drained. I usually just take kitchen shears and quickly snip off any excess skin or fat. Cracked green olives are olives that have been 'cracked' or split open before curing, allowing the brine or marinade to penetrate. You can find them in your supermarket's olive bar, or substitute any green olive that you like.
• Make-Ahead: After you have completed the step of cooking the carrots, the dish can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. To serve, gently warm on the stove until the chicken is heated through, then proceed to the step where the olives and remaining ingredients are added.

CHICKEN TAGINE WITH POTATOES AND PEAS (MOROCCO -- NORTH AFRICA)

Steps:

• In a large flameproof casserole, combine chicken, onions, garlic, oil, saffron, cumin, ginger pepper, paprika & salt, then cover with water, about 2 cups. Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil & cook, covered, for 30 minutes.
• Add parsley, cilantro & potatoes, then cook, covered, another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are nearly done.
• Add peas, lower the heat & simmer for 5 minutes more.
• If sauce is still runny, uncover the pan & boil hard until thickened, then taste & adjust seasoning, if necessary, before transferring to a preheated serving dish ~ Serve very hot with a good bread!

MOROCCAN CHICKEN TAGINE WITH POTATOES AND OLIVES RECIPE

Steps:

• In a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, combine the chicken, onion, garlic, spices, parsley, and oil. Cook, covered, over medium heat, without adding water, for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the chicken is almost done. Stir occasionally to turn the pieces of chicken, and watch the heat so that the chicken doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot and burn.
• Peel and quarter the potatoes. Add them to the pot, along with the olives, preserved lemon, and enough water to almost cover the potatoes. Bring the liquids to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender and the sauce is quite thick.
• Slice the onion instead of chopping it, and spread the onion slices on the bottom of a large tagine. Peel the potatoes and thinly slice them and layer them on top of the onions. (Or, you can cut the potatoes into wedges, and arrange them around the chicken after completing the next step.)
• In a large bowl, combine the chicken, garlic, spices, and parsley. Add the chicken to the tagine Swirl 1/2 cup of water in the bowl to mix it with the spices, and add this water to the tagine. Pour the olive oil over all, and distribute the olives (and preserved lemon, if using) over the chicken and potatoes.
• Cover the tagine and place it on a diffuser over medium-low to medium heat. Allow the tagine ample time to reach a simmer, and then reduce the heat to the lowest temperature necessary to maintain the simmer.
• Interrupt the cooking after 1 hour and 15 minutes to check on the level of liquids. If you feel a little more water is needed, add it to the tagine, keeping in mind that the final sauce should be thick and not watery.
• Continue cooking the tagine, covered, for another 30 minutes or more, until the chicken and potatoes are very tender. Let the tagine rest off the heat for about 10 minutes before serving.