Moroccan chicken tagine with apricots and chickpeas
75 min · 41 g protein · 412 cals / serving
A warm, golden winter stew from Morocco: chicken thighs and breast simmered with onion, ginger, cumin, turmeric and cinnamon in a light tomato broth, with chunks of butternut squash, carrot and zucchini, chickpeas and a handful of dried apricots that melt into sweet, sticky pockets. Finished with lemon, fresh cilantro and toasted almonds.
Ingredients
- 12 oz chicken thigh, boneless, skinless thighs (4), halved
- 1 1/4 lb chicken breast, in large chunks
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp olive oil
- 2 large onions, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tbsp grated ginger, fresh, peeled
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 3/4 tsp turmeric, ground
- 1 tsp paprika, sweet
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, plus 1 cinnamon stick if you have one
- 1 can (14 oz) canned crushed tomatoes
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth, low-sodium
- 3 large carrots, in thick chunks
- 14 oz butternut squash, peeled and seeded, in 3 cm (1 1/4-inch) chunks
- 1 1/4 cups chickpeas, canned, drained and rinsed (most of a 15-oz can)
- 7 dried apricots, halved
- 2 large zucchini, in thick half-moons
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
To serve
- 1 1/2 tbsp flaked almonds, toasted in a dry pan
Steps
- Pat the thighs dry and season them with half the salt and the pepper. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot, Dutch oven or tagine over medium-high heat and brown the thighs for 3–4 minutes a side, until golden. Lift them onto a plate.
- Lower the heat to medium, add the onion and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring, until soft and golden. Stir in the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric, paprika and cinnamon and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Add the tomatoes, broth, carrots, squash, the cinnamon stick if using and the rest of the salt, keeping back a pinch. Return the thighs with their juices, bring to a simmer, cover and cook gently for 20 minutes.
- Season the breast chunks with a pinch of salt and add them with the chickpeas, apricots and zucchini. Simmer, partly covered, for 15–20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender, the sauce has thickened and all the chicken reaches 165°F.
- Remove the cinnamon stick, stir in the lemon juice and taste for salt. Scatter with the cilantro and toasted almonds and serve, with couscous or warm flatbread on the side if you like.
Good to know
Do I need a tagine pot?
No. A heavy pot or Dutch oven with a lid does the same job. If you do use a clay tagine, keep it over a low heat with a heat diffuser and add the liquid warm, so the clay does not crack.
Can I use preserved lemon?
Yes, it is the classic touch. Rinse half a preserved lemon, chop the rind finely and stir it in with the chickpeas instead of the lemon juice. It is salty, so taste before adding the last of the salt.
Why breasts and thighs?
The thighs braise from the start and give the sauce its body; the breast goes in later so it stays juicy. All thighs works too and tastes a little richer, at about 71 instead of 75.
Make ahead?
It is even better the next day and keeps for 4 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. Add the cilantro and almonds after reheating.
Alternative
Per
- Calories
- 74
- Protein
- (41%)
- 7 g
- Fat
- (23%)
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- (35%)
- 7 g
- of which sugar
- 3 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 196 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 2473 kcal goes into the pot and 3836 g of ingredients comes out as about 3350 g of food: 74 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.