Chicken and Chickpea Tagine

Chicken and Chickpea Tagine
Craig Lee for The New York Times
Total Time
1 hour
Rating
5(3,057)
Comments
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Like many dishes that rely on combinations of spices, a tagine, which is a slowly braised stew, may look more intimidating to cook than it is. Even with shortcuts, the results are exotic in flavor and appearance. My version of this tagine may not compare to those that begin with toasting and grinding spices and peeling grapes, but it is easily executed and, I think, divine.

Some things to look out for: First, work with dark-meat chicken only and be aware that tagines are on the dry side, so don't add liquid to the sauce unless it is threatening to burn. Home-cooked chickpeas and fresh tomatoes are, of course, preferable to canned varieties, but in this dish the differences are not marked. Do, however, use a vanilla bean, not vanilla extract.

Featured in: THE MINIMALIST; A Shortcut To Morocco

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 2tablespoons corn or canola oil
  • 2tablespoons butter
  • 1large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2cloves garlic, minced
  • Salt
  • Pinch nutmeg
  • ½teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1teaspoon ground coriander
  • ½teaspoon ground black pepper
  • Pinch cayenne
  • 1½ to 2cups chopped tomatoes (canned are fine; drain excess liquid)
  • 4cups chickpeas (canned are fine; drain and rinse first)
  • ½cup raisins or chopped pitted dates
  • ½vanilla bean
  • 8chicken thighs, or 4 leg-thigh pieces, cut in two
  • Chopped cilantro or parsley leaves
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

1813 calories; 89 grams fat; 23 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 36 grams monounsaturated fat; 21 grams polyunsaturated fat; 149 grams carbohydrates; 27 grams dietary fiber; 37 grams sugars; 107 grams protein; 1686 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Put oil and butter in a large skillet or casserole, which can be covered later, and turn heat to medium high. When butter melts, add onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it softens, 5 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, a large pinch of salt and spices. Cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, chickpeas, raisins and vanilla, and bring to a boil. (If mixture is very dry, add about ½ cup water.) Taste, and add salt as necessary.

  2. Step 2

    Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt, and nestle them into sauce. Cover, and 5 minutes later adjust heat so mixture simmers steadily. Cook until chicken is very tender, 45 minutes to an hour. Taste, and adjust seasoning. Then garnish, and serve with couscous.

Ratings

5 out of 5
3,057 user ratings
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Comments

I used boneless, skinless thighs, added another onion, doubled all the spices and used half of a cinnamon stick instead of the ground cinnamon. I used fresh tomatoes and included the juices. I also added some chicken broth because for my family it's all about the gravy. Served over couscous with cilantro; it was delicious.

This was super tasty, but I made it per some of the recommendations posted here, and my own meddling.
Definitely double the spices - at least the cumin, coriander, and cayenne (not the vanilla, though). I also added a pinch of tumeric and 5 garlic cloves instead of 2. Instead of adding water, I drained the diced tomatoes and reserved the juice. If it needed more liquid I used that instead. I chose pitted dates, as I prefer them, and had it with quinoa instead of couscous.

Greetings Ulrich. I think Mark is pointing out that a tajine is traditionally not a dish with abundant sauce. Sauce tends to be only an inch or so deep. Be aware that your cast-iron Le Creuset, a lovely piece of equipment, is not a traditional tajine. In the Magreb they are made of terra cotta and the bottom is shallower than the Le Creuset version. When the sides are higher, there is more sauce than in those found in Morocco. Lower sides mean a dryer dish.

Very easy and delicious. I doubled the recipe and it was enjoyed by more than a dozen, from the 74 year old (with added harissa) to the 21 month old. Served with Friday Couscous from this site - this excellent recipe is a keeper.

I did a mash up of two recipes - Jacque Pepin's garlic ginger chicken and Mark's chickpeas. I used Jacque's stove top method of cooking boneless and skinless chicken thighs. I took a short cut and used Trader Joe's garbanzo beans with parsley and cumin as the base for the chick peas. It was delicious. Thank you Mark and Jacque.

5 garlic cloves 2 onions

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