Dish a Day : Day 65 : Moroccan Chicken Tagine

🍗 Moroccan-Style Chicken Tagine with Whole Wheat Couscous
Ingredients (serves 4–6)
For the tagine:
* 6 chicken thighs + 6 chicken legs (bone-in, skin-on)
* 2 onions, finely sliced
* 3 garlic cloves, chopped
* 1 thumb-sized piece ginger, grated
* 1 tsp ground cumin
* 1 tsp ground cinnamon
* 1 tsp ground coriander
* 1 tsp turmeric
* ½ tsp smoked paprika
* 1 tbsp tomato purée
* 500ml chicken stock
* 100g dried apricots, halved
* 1 tin (400g) green lentils, drained & rinsed
* 1 tbsp honey
* 1 preserved lemon, finely chopped (or zest of 1 fresh lemon if unavailable)
* Olive oil
* Salt & pepper
For the couscous:
* 250g whole wheat couscous
* 300ml chicken stock (or veg stock for vegan)
* 2 tbsp olive oil (or a knob of butter)
* Juice of ½ lemon
* 1 tsp salt
* Optional: parsley or coriander, toasted flaked almonds, raisins
To serve:
* Fresh coriander
* Toasted flaked almonds

Method
1. Brown the chicken
* Heat olive oil in a heavy pot or tagine.
* Season chicken, brown on all sides, then set aside.
2. Build the base
* Cook onions, garlic, and ginger until soft.
* Stir in spices + tomato purée, cook 1 min to release aroma.
3. Simmer the tagine
* Return chicken to pot.
* Add stock, apricots, lentils, honey, and preserved lemon.
* Simmer gently, covered, for 40–50 mins until chicken is tender and sauce is rich.
4. Make the couscous
* Bring stock, salt, and olive oil/butter to a boil.
* Stir in couscous, cover, and set aside 5–7 mins.
* Fluff with a fork, finish with lemon juice and herbs/almonds/raisins if using.
5. Finish & serve
* Taste tagine, balance with more honey (sweetness) or lemon juice (acidity).
* Scatter coriander + toasted almonds.
* Serve with fluffy whole wheat couscous.

#ChickenTagine, #MoroccanFood, #WholeWheatCouscous, #FamilyDinner, #rusticcooking,

Welcome to day 65 of this day where I’m attempting to upload a new recipe every day for a year. And today we’re making absolutely stunning Moroccan chicken tine. Tender chicken with warm spices, a little bit of sweetness from apricot and honey, all bulked out with some lentils. Now, usually I would use chickpeas, but I completely forgot to buy some. This is rustic comfort food with a little bit of a difference. Well, all that being said, let’s get cooking. Start by thinly slicing two onions, thinly slicing three cloves of garlic, and grating a thumb- sized piece of ginger. And then get some oil on your chicken thighs and leg. Give them a season and get them into a very hot pan on both sides till they’re nice and golden. Remove and finish with the rest of your chicken before adding your onions, garlic, and ginger, and some tomato paste. And let that cook out for a few minutes before adding cumin, cinnamon, coriander, turmeric, smoked paprika, and then give them a mix. Add your chicken in, getting it in where you can. Add your dried apricot, your tin of lentils, and your chicken stock. Bring to a simmer. And we’re going to simmer this for about 40 to 50 minutes with the lid on until the chicken is nice and moist. I’m going to keep the couscous very, very simple because there’s so much flavor in the tine itself. So, it’s just 250 g of whole wheat couscous with 300 ml of chicken or veg stock, whichever you prefer. Pop a lid on it and let it steam for about 5 to 7 minutes and then fluff up with a fork. When our chicken’s ready, all we need to do is finish it off with fresh coriander or parsley, some flaked almonds, and then serve up. This one is a taste sensation, and it’s a good one to get your mind thinking about different flavor profiles. A full recipe will be in the description down below. Don’t forget to drop me a follow if you like my content, and I’ll catch you on the next one.