Tagines are a type of Moroccan stew that is normally made using meat or fish, which is cooked along with vegetables and fruits in a delicious stew. The cookware they are prepared in, tagines, are most often made of clay and consist of a deep pot with a conical, chimney-shaped lid, which helps to circulate the steam creating deliciously moist, tender food.
Ingredients
¼ cup cooking oil
1 ½ lb chicken thighs, bone-in and skin on
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 large onions
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons ras el hanout
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 can chopped tomatoes
¾ cup dried apricots
2 tablespoons honey
2 preserved lemons, finely chopped
1 cup chicken stock
3.5oz black olives
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander, to garnish
Optional Ingredients
2 tablespoons flaked almonds, to garnish
Directions
Heat the cooking oil to a medium high heat in a tagine or cooking pot with a lid. Season the chicken thighs, and then place them into the pan to fry for 5 minutes until they are golden in color.
Remove the chicken from the pan. Slice the onions into strips, and then add them to the pan and fry them for 5 minutes until they are softened and translucent.
Add the garlic and the ras el hanout, and cook everything together for another 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant.
Add the drained chickpeas, the chopped tomatoes, the dried apricots, the honey, the finely chopped preserved lemon, and the chicken stock to the pan. Mix everything together and then return the chicken to the pan. Place the tagine lid onto the pot and let the tagine cook for 30 minutes.
Add the olives to the pan and cook the tagine for 10 more minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
Serve the tagine with the chicken thighs whole, or you can shred the chicken and mix it into the rest of the tagine. Sprinkle with fresh coriander and sliced almonds if desired.
