EASY CHICKEN AND CHICKPEA TAGINE

Easy Chicken and Chickpea Tagine with warm spices, sweetness from dried apricots and the ease of assembly makes a perfect fit for a weeknight meal or a weekend with friends. Although I don’t use a traditional tagine in this recipe, if you have one, by all means go ahead. The idea for sharing this recipe – I can’t take original credit for it as it’s from the BBC Food’s website, was about giving you a delicious but simple recipe to add to your repertoire. My friend and co-host of our podcast – The Weighting Room, mentioned the recipe on one of our episodes. It piqued my interest so I went in search of it.

And being the good detective that I am, I found the recipe. Actually it wasn’t that hard. Unless the recipe. The original recipe suggests raisins, also good, but I do love dried apricots in a tagine and I had those on hand so feel free to mix it up: dates, raisins or apricots. Next time when I make it, I will also add olives as I missed their brininess. The mint is a must, it adds freshness and flavor. Don’t leave it out.

Easy Chicken and Chickpea Tagine makes a perfect winter warmer. As we’re deep into winter here in midwest US, these sort of comforting recipes that blip away happily in a pot demanding almost no attention allowing you to go about your day are perfect. Make sure you delve into more cool weather recipes here. Meanwhile, if you make this please drop a comment below and let me know.

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CHICKEN, CHICKPEA & APRICOT TAGINE

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time40 mins

Total Time50 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: north african

Servings: 6

Calories: 298kcal

Author: Lovoni

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1.75 lbs skinless, boneless chicken thighs, each one cut into 6 this is about 6 thighs
• 2 tablespoons harissa north African chili paste
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 14 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
• A good pinch of salt & pepper
• 15 oz can chickpeas, drained
• Fresh mint leaves and toasted sliced almonds, to serve
• Cooked couscous, to serve*

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until softened.
• Add the chicken. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes until the chicken is staring to brown a little.
• Add the harissa and spices and cook, stirring until fragrant.
• Add the broth, tomatoes, apricots, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, covered. Reduce the heat to medium low. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring once or twice. Increase the heat to medium. Add the chickpeas and cook for 10 minutes, uncovered or until the sauce has thickened slightly.
• Serve with couscous, mint leaves and toasted almonds. Serves 4 to 6.
• *To cook instant couscous: heat an equal amount of chicken broth as you have couscous. Bring the broth to a boil. Add the couscous and 1 tablespoon of butter or olive oil and a pinch of salt. Stir with a fork. Cover and remove from the heat. Let stand, covered, for 12 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Nutrition

Calories: 298kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 127mg | Sodium: 770mg | Potassium: 751mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 551IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 3mg