Best Moroccan Chicken Tagine With Cranberry Curry Couscous Recipes

CHICKEN TAGINE WITH DRIED CRANBERRIES

Steps:

• Mix lemon juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and pepper together in a large glass or ceramic bowl. Add chicken pieces and toss to coat. Cover and let sit in a refrigerator for 2 hours, up to overnight.
• When ready to start, line a tagine with sliced carrots.
• Heat another 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat until hot, but not smoking. Brown 1/2 of the chicken pieces, skin-side down, turning over once, 5 to 7 minutes. You are just browning it, not cooking it through. Take out of the skillet and place on top of the carrots, then brown the remaining pieces of chicken. Once those are browned, but not cooked through, arrange on top of the carrots also. The idea is that the chicken does not touch the bottom of the tagine, only the carrots.
• Add onion to the same skillet and saute over medium-high heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add garlic; saute for 30 seconds. Stir in potatoes and saute, 1 to 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, bell pepper, cranberries, and parsley; stir well and keep sauteing over medium heat until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle the chicken bouillon granules over the mixture while it cooks.
• Pour the mixture over the chicken and carrots. Place the tagine over low heat, making sure any open flames do not touch the bottom of the pot. Drizzle remaining olive oil over top. Pour wine over top and cover.
• Cook over low heat until potatoes are soft and chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 1 hour. Turn off the heat and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

CRANBERRY-CURRY COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Place couscous in a large bowl. In a large glass measuring cup, mix together hot stock, curry powder, preserved lemon, shallot, and olive oil. Pour over couscous and add cranberries. Cover and let stand 10 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork. Season with salt and pepper; drizzle with additional olive oil, if desired.

CHICKEN TAGINE WITH COUSCOUS

Steps:

• To prepare the tagine:
• 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• 2. Place a tagine or heavy-bottom cast-iron pot over medium-heat heat with the olive oil. Season the chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Working in batches, sear the chicken in the pot until deep golden brown on all sides, 5 to 6 minutes total. Reserve seared chicken on a plate.
• 3. Add the onions to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until light golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger to the pot and continue cooking, until aromatic, about 2 minutes. Add the stock, cumin, and saffron to the pot, and bring the liquid to a boil. Return the chicken to the pot along with any juices that accumulated while it rested.
• 4. Cover the tagine or pot with a tight-fitting lid and bake until the chicken has cooked through, about 15 minutes (or, the chicken can be simmered over medium-low heat on the stovetop for the same amount of time until cooked through).
• 5. When the chicken has cooked through, add the olives, parsley, and lemons to the pot. Reserve warm over low heat until ready to serve.
• To prepare the couscous:
• 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place dry couscous on a sheet pan and toast until pale golden brown and aromatic, about 15 minutes. Set aside.
• 2. In a medium pot over high heat, bring the chicken stock, cinnamon, turmeric, and red pepper to a boil. Add the couscous, stir to combine, and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Remove the pot from the heat and let rest for 10 minutes.
• 3. Fluff the couscous with a fork. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick. Serve warm with the prepared tagine.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN TAGINE

Steps:

• Mix cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, coriander, ginger, mint, salt, and pepper together in a bowl. Measure out 1/2 cup spice mix and set the remaining aside for another use.
• Bring a small pot of water to a boil; add apricots and raisins. Cook until fruit is soft, about 5 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of cooking water.
• Pour enough olive oil into a large skillet or Dutch oven to coat the bottom; turn heat to medium. Coat chicken with the 1/2 cup spice mix and place in the hot oil; cook until golden brown and releases easily from the skillet, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
• Mix onion and garlic into skillet with chicken; cook and stir until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add apricots, raisins, reserved 1/2 cup water from fruit, chicken broth, and honey; reduce heat to low and cover. Cook until chicken is very tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Serve chicken garnished with cilantro and almonds.