Chicken & Chickpea Tagine
A tagine is a traditional Moroccan stew, traditionally prepared and served in a vessel called a tagine.
From EatingWell: November/December 1996
Yield: 8 servings, about 1 3/4 cup each
Active Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 1/2 hours
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 8 bone-in chicken thighs, (about 3 pounds), skin and visible fat removed
- Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 2 onions, sliced
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, (about 3), peeled and diced
- 2 14-ounce cans recipe-ready tomatoes, 1 drained
- 2 14-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 1/2 cups pitted prunes
- Harissa, (North African hot pepper paste) to taste
Preparation
- Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a 6- to 8-quart Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper, add to the pot and brown on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Wipe any fat from the pot. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and onions and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. If necessary, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to prevent scorching. Add cumin, saffron and cinnamon sticks; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in sweet potatoes, tomatoes, chickpeas, orange juice and honey; bring to a simmer.
- Return the chicken pieces to the pot, pressing them down into the vegetables. Return to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes.
- Add prunes and continue to simmer until the chicken is very tender, about 10 minutes more. Season with salt, pepper and harissa to taste.
Tips & Notes
- Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 3; cover and refrigerate up to 3 days in advance or freeze for up to 1 month.
- Ingredient note: Harissa, a fiery Tunisian chile paste, is available at specialty-food stores or at amazon.com. Harissa in a tube will be much hotter than that in a jar. You can substitute Chinese or Thai chili-garlic sauce for it.
Nutrition Per serving:
365 calories; 8 g fat (2 g sat, 3 g mono); 50 mg cholesterol; 56 g carbohydrates; 19 g protein; 7 g fiber; 258 mg sodium; 693 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (215% daily value),Vitamin C (62% dv), Potassium (20% dv), Iron (17% dv).
3 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 1/2 fruit, 1/2 other carbohydrate, 1 1/2 vegetable