Chicken tagine, and the Moroccan influence
There are many recipes for chicken tagine, and this is one of them, the one I make most often at home, because it’s a crowdpleaser. Okay, I have to confess that some people in my family don’t like olives (go figure!) But they can easily set them aside on this dish. Other than that, If you are like my family, you’re going to love this dish, not only because it’s so satisfying, so nutritious, so balanced and so flavorful, but because it brightens up a table and brings the family and friends together.
Tagine is the ultimate Moroccan dish. There are probably as many tagine dishes as households in Morocco, with different kinds of meats, fish and vegetables. Tagine refers not only to the dish itself, but to the earthenware container where it is usually cooked, at low heat, for hours.
A tagine is composed of two parts, a bottom, circular dish used both for cooking and for serving, and a top made of the same material and decorated similarly, but shaped like a hollow cone or dome. The purpose of the con shaped top is to return moisture produced by the food to the base of the tagine. This makes this dish very practical in areas where water supply is limited or not yet available.
If you have a tagine, you’ll have to season it before you use it for the first time by submerging it in water for a couple of hours. Also, if you don’t cook on coals like the Moroccan’s do, you will have to use a diffuser so the heat doesn’t come in direct contact with the dish. And if you don’t have the earthenware tagine, don’t be discouraged: you can make chicken tagine in a coccotte or in a traditional Spanish earthenware casserole, like I did.
You have probably seen in many of my photos that I have a number of mini tagines, medium sized ones, and other Moroccan ceramic dishes. There’s no wonder: Morocco is very close to Spain, and I grew up visiting my uncle, aunt and cousins that lived in Ceuta, the Spanish city on the other side of the Strait of Gibraltar, on what would otherwise be Moroccan land or the African continent (you can check here another post where I talk about it). Many of the dishes cooked at home by my mom had Moroccan influences, passed on from visits to our family in Ceuta.
Morocco is a country somewhat linked to Spain, not just by geographical proximity but also by history. For a time, between 1912 and 1958, part of the Moroccan territory was a Spanish colony, what was called El Protectorado Español, the Spanish Protectorate, and even though Morocco controls all of its geographical territory now (except for Ceuta and Melilla, who became part of Spain in 1578 and 1496 respectively), the influences between both countries are great, particularly in the south of Spain, and many Moroccan nationals have chosen Spain as their country of residence.
Some special ingredients of the Moroccan cuisine
To make this recipe for chicken tagine you will need preserved lemons, very easy to make, in a recipe I shared here (click here or go to the HOW TO section of this blog). You will also need the quintessential Moroccan mix of spices called ras-el-hanout. I was lucky to be able to purchase a good amount of it when I visited Morocco in January 2020, but if you don’t have it or cannot find it, you can make your own mix by following the directions in the recipe. In fact, ras-el-hanout is a spice blend made at home by most Moroccan families, which means that each family has its own recipe or mix of spices.
Those are probably the two ingredients that will set this dish apart from any other chicken and vegetable dish you might make.
No tagine would be complete without a side of couscous. In fact, to call couscous a side wouldn’t be appropriate, as couscous is part of the dish itself, not just a side dish. There are many couscous brands you can purchase that are very easy to make, you just have to follow the directions on the box. If you buy couscous in bulk, I leave you with a recipe as well.
The last international trip I took before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic was to Spain and Morocco in January 2020 (some of the photos in this post were taken in Marrakech). I am dreaming of my next trip back to Spain and back to Morocco. It honestly appears in my dreams.
In the meantime, I try to replicate its cuisine.
CHICKEN TAGINE
Ingredients
- 1 chicken cut into pieces
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 2 Tbs ras-el-hanout
- 1 preserved lemon
- About 1/4 cup olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 sprigs of parsley
- 3 sprigs of cilantro
- Pinch of saffron threads
- 6 medium carrots
- 1 cup pitted olives
- 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
Ras-el-hanout:
- 1 tsp cardamon
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
For the couscous:
- 1 cup couscous
- 2 Tbs olive oil
Instructions
- In a large bowl, season the chicken with salt and black pepper. Add the ras-al-hanout and coat all the pieces well. If ras-al-hanout not available, combine the cardamon, ground cumin, ground ginger, turmeric, coriander, ground cinnamon and cayenne pepper in a small bowl and rub over the chicken pieces. Add the preserved lemon, quartered, and 1 Tbs chopped parsley and cilantro. Toss well to coat and let marinade overnight, or at least for 4 hours.
- Peel the carrots and cut them into 2-3 inch pieces.
- In the casserole, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Brown the chicken in batches, about 8 minutes per batch, adding more oil if necessary.
- Sauté the carrots, 2 minutes.
- Bring all the chicken back to the casserole and add the garlic cloves, olives, chopped parsley and chopped cilantro.
- Combine the saffron with a 1 cup lukewarm water and let sit for a couple of minutes. Pour this liquid over the chicken. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the chicken is done, stirring halfway through cooking.
- Stir in the peas and preserved lemons and cook for another 5 or 6 minutes.
- Sprinkle some more chopped parsley and cilantro and serve with hot couscous.
Prepare the couscous:
- Follow the cooking instructions on the packaging or follow this method:
- In a medium sauce pan, place 2 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Bring to a boil, remove the sauce pan from the heat source, add the couscous, stir, cover with the lid and let sit for 10 minutes. After this time, all the liquid will have been absorbed by the couscous. Fluff with a fork and serve with the chicken tagine
Notes
