Chicken tagine is a classic Moroccan dish that is slow-cooked in a special pot by the same name (variously spelled tagine or tajine).
The pot has a conical lid that helps retain moisture and enhance the dish’s flavors. Since I don’t own a tagine pot, I prepared this in a pressure cooker/Instant Pot, which dramatically speeds up the cooking time; however, if you don’t own any of the above cooking vessels, you can easily make this in a slow cooker or stove-top pot.
Dried fruits like apricots, prunes, dates, and raisins are commonly used in Moroccan tagines and stews. They add a sweet, rich flavor that balances the savory and spiced components of the dish. For example, a Lamb Tagine with Prunes or Chicken Tagine with Apricots is a classic Moroccan dish where dried fruits create a sweet and savory harmony. Preserved lemons are often added, too; I omitted them here as they can be hard to find, but I did add a pinch of freshly grated lemon zest to replace them.
Here, I topped the tagine with fresh peaches as these happened to be in season when I tested this recipe, but during the cooler months, it’s fine to omit them.
Chicken Tagine with Peaches & Mint
Servings: servings
Calories: 459kcal
Print Recipe
Equipment
- Pressure cooker or Instant Pot you can cook this in a slow cooker or stove-top pot, but it will take significantly longer
Ingredients
Chicken Tagine
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 lbs chicken thigh skinless, boneless
- 1 large yellow onion finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp raw ginger freshly grated (or 1 tsp ground ginger)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ¼ tsp nutmeg freshly grated, if possible
- a generous pinch (about ½ tsp) saffron
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1½ cup chicken bone broth
- ½ cup dried apricots optional; omit if garnishing with fresh peaches
- 1 pinch saffron
- 14 oz tomatoes diced (1 can)
- 14 oz cooked chickpeas drained and rinsed (1 can)
- 1 medium sweet potato peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
- 2 medium zucchini cut into ½-inch cubes
- ½ cup green olives pitted
- generous pinch (about ½ tsp) lemon zest freshly grated
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper freshly ground
- ¼ medium red onion very thinly siced
- 2 large, ripe peaches cubed or sliced
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves
Quinoa "Couscous" Grain
- 1 cup quinoa soaked for 10 minutes in a bowl of cold water, then drained through a fine-meshed sieve and rinsed under running water
- 1¾ cups water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp butter
- ⅓ cup cilantro chopped
Instructions
Chicken Tagine
- Preheat a dry skillet for 2-3 minutes over medium heat, then add the almond slices and toast them, stirring steadily, until they turn a light golden color and emit a deliciously nutty fragrance. Tip onto a plate to cool and set aside.
- Preheat the Instant Pot to SAUTE, HIGH, and, once hot, add the olive oil. Place the chicken thighs in the pot and brown in batches until they're crisp and browned on both sides. Set them aside.
- In the oil remaining in the pot, saute the onion, garlic, ginger, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg. (If the pot gets too dry and the spices risk burning, add a splash of water or chicken stock.)
- Once the onion is translucent, stir in the tomato paste, chicken bone broth, apricots (if using), saffron, and tomatoes. Add the browned chicken thighs back to the pot.
- Lock the lid, making sure the steam valve is set to the SEALING position. Set the pot to pressure-cook on high for five minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for ten minutes; then carefully turn the steam valve to the VENTING position to manually release the remaining pressure (cover the pressure valve with a towel to prevent steam spraying everywhere). Turn off the pot and remove the lid.
- Use tongs to transfer the chicken to a plate. Add the chickpeas, sweet potato cubes, zucchini cubes, and olives to the fragrant broth in the pot. Lock the lid once more (set pressure valve to SEALING), set the timer to 2 minutes, and return to full pressure. As soon as the cooking time is up, quick-release the steam by shifting the valve to VENTING, and then remove the lid again.
- While the vegetables are cooking, use two forks to shred the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces. Add these back to the pot, along with the shredded chicken.
- Reheat the tagine on SAUTE, MEDIUM. Season to taste with salt, black pepper, and lemon juice.
- Transfer the stew to a large serving dish and garnish with the sliced red onion, mint leaves, peaches, and toasted almond slices (Alternatively, spoon onto individual dining plates alongside the quinoa and garnish, as pictured.)
Quinoa "Couscous" Grain
- I usually start this off before I begin cooking the tagine as it doesn't need much supervision. If you prefer, you can cook it ahead and reheat it in the microwave just before serving.
- Place the soaked & rinsed quinoa in a medium pot and cover with water. Add the cinnamon stick and salt and stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then cover with a lid and reduce heat to "low." Simmer for 20-25 minutes until all the water has been absorbed. Test for doneness -- the grains should have a slight crunch ("al dente").
- Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Add the butter, let it melt in the hot quinoa, then stir it around until the grains taste comfortingly buttery.
- Just before serving, stir in the chopped cilantro. (If you plan to save leftover quinoa for breakfast, omit the cilantro.)
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving of 8 | Calories: 459kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 690mg | Potassium: 1139mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 5165IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 120mg | Iron: 5mg