I am so glad I decided to include more international dishes on the blog because it’s a lot of fun discovering new spices and experiencing unique flavours. This chicken dish is a result of reading a lot about cooking in tagines and the amazing tastes that result. The word ‘tagine’ refers to both the recipe and the clay pot which is traditionally used to cook it. However, tagines can be cooked on the stovetop and convection oven as well.
You might look at this dish and say, ‘Looks good, but I’m not going to all that trouble’. Well, don’t despair, I’ve simplified this recipe and cut back on the cooking time and made it ‘simple, fresh and easy’ – my motto! This will take very little time and the oven will do most of the work for you. Is your resistance lessening yet?
The chicken was so tender when cooked this way and I didn`t even take the time to brown it first. It`s just a matter of popping it into the casserole dish and adding some butternut squash and carrots on top.
Most important is preparing the tomato mixture. A simple sauté of onion, ginger and garlic before adding your spices and tomatoes to cook for 15 minutes to ensure they blend well is all that is required. Add chickpeas, raisins, and dried apricot or mango and you`re good to go. Still with me? You just know you’re going to make this, aren’t you?!
Pour it over the chicken, bake and viola! Above is the dish straight from the oven. I`ve added fresh cilantro and slivered almonds on top and it`s ready to serve.
This dish is packed full of nutrients and you will love the Moroccan flavours. This spicy dinner will fill your house with new and exotic aromas that will have everyone running to the dinner table. The next day’s leftovers are even better so don’t be afraid to double the recipe if you have a bigger family.
Chicken is such a popular dish and is eaten at least once a week in many households and changing it up doesn’t have to mean a lot of work. You will be doing your children a favor by introducing them to new recipes at a young age so that they develop a curious and adventurous palate as adults. So, if the ease of cooking this dish didn’t work, I’m hoping the guilt will get ya!
All kidding aside, Moroccan Fruity Chicken Tagine was a success in my house and will find it’s way to my table again and again. Cheers!
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
- 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes (organic, if available)
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped
- 1/2 can chickpeas
- 1 cup raisins (sultana or golden)
- 3/4 cup dried apricot or mango (bite sized pieces)
- 6 pieces of chicken (thighs, breasts, your choice) rinsed and patted dry
- 1/2 butternut squash, cut into 1.5 ” pieces
- 4 carrots, peeled, cut into 1.5″ pieces
- handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
- handful of slivered almonds
- Preheat oven to 350 F
- Heat oil in large pan and sauté onion, ginger and garlic; about 3 minutes
- Add turmeric, cumin, cinnamon and cilantro, cook for 1 minute
- Add tomatoes, chickpeas and chicken stock, stirring well. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes.
- Stir in raisins and apricot/mango after turning off heat.
- Spray a large casserole dish with oil and place chicken inside. Top with carrots and butternut squash.
- Pour tomato mixture over top and cover with lid or tin foil.
- Bake for 1 hour or until chicken reaches 165 F.
- Garnish with almonds and fresh cilantro.
- Pomegranate seeds would make a nice topping, too.
36 Comments
Anita Rivera
October 30, 2014 at 5:04 amGood morning beautiful one!
This is such a great memory for me; while I was in Paris with my husband, I could NOT get enough of this stuff! It was fun to go to different restaurants to compare the tastes and textures….and such a healthy dish!
Wishing you a fabulous day! Anita
Robyn
October 30, 2014 at 4:14 pmI can imagine they had so many different varieties, Anita! I absolutely love the flavours! Thanks for visiting! Hope your week has been going well 🙂
Robyn recently posted…Moroccan Fruity Chicken Tagine
cheri
October 30, 2014 at 7:31 amHI Robyn, love the spice combination that you used in this dish and the raisins are such a great addition, my favorite kind of meal this time of year.
cheri recently posted…Cottage Cooking Club Month of October, Two Recipes
Robyn
October 30, 2014 at 4:15 pmThanks, Cheri. I thought I might be overdoing it on the spices but it seemed to have a nice balance. I’m loving all the yummy comfort food by all the bloggers these days!
Robyn recently posted…Moroccan Fruity Chicken Tagine
Stephanie
October 31, 2014 at 10:03 amThis looks amazing, Robyn! I have never made anything quite like this so I will definitely be giving it a try. The ingredients are making my mouth water 🙂
Thank you for always sharing the BEST recipes. Love and hugs!
Stephanie recently posted…Our Thankful Jar
Robyn
November 1, 2014 at 7:08 amThanks so much, Stephanie. You are always so kind with your comments! I think you’d really like this for sure and it’s easy!
Lots of love to you xoxo
Robyn recently posted…Moroccan Fruity Chicken Tagine
Lovefoodies
October 31, 2014 at 1:41 pmHey Robyn,
What a fabulous recipe with great ingredients and a nice blend of spices. Seeing your recipe has prompted me to get my tagine out from the cupboard! I love Moroccan flavours and your recipe is very inspiring. Thank you!
Happy cooking amigo 🙂
Mary
Robyn
November 1, 2014 at 7:12 amThanks so much, Mary! I would love to get a tagine and see what it tastes like in there. Next time I would try some different fruits as well. So nice of you to visit 🙂
Robyn recently posted…Moroccan Fruity Chicken Tagine
Mindy
October 31, 2014 at 3:36 pmWhat a delightful combination of ingredients. I have had Moroccan inspired salads with savory and sweet and loved them. I had to laugh when you “Looks good but I am not going to all that trouble” because I did think, by looking at your lovely photo, that the dish would be beyond my skill level. Thanks for keeping things simple for us : ) Happy weekend!
Mindy recently posted…From ashes to beauty
Robyn
November 1, 2014 at 7:13 amLOL, it’s definitely a LOT of ingredients too, Mindy but they seemed to work. I do hope you’ll try this – I couldn’t believe how tender the chicken was.
Your visits are always so special to me. Thanks for always coming by.
Robyn recently posted…Moroccan Fruity Chicken Tagine
Marla
November 2, 2014 at 12:18 pmSounds so tasty and has such healthy ingredients. This would be great on a cold winter’s day. Thanks for sharing on Real Food Fridays blog hop Pinned & twitted.
Marla recently posted…Real Food Fridays #62 – Live The Healthy Way
Miz Helen
November 4, 2014 at 2:01 pmHi Robyn,
What a lovely presentation for your delicious Moroccan Fruity Chicken Tangine. Hope you are having a great day and thanks so much for sharing your awesome post with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Miz Helen recently posted…Cornbread Dressing Casserole
Joy @ Joy Love Food
November 4, 2014 at 5:10 pmMmmmm, I love tagine, this looks wonderful! Pinning! Visiting from Lou Lou Girls Fabulous Party 🙂
Joy @ Joy Love Food recently posted…Black Bottom Banana Mini Cupcakes
Michelle @ A Dish of Daily Life
November 5, 2014 at 7:11 amI AM going to make this, because I love recipes like this! It looks delicious! Pinning and will be sharing on my Facebook page later today.
Michelle @ A Dish of Daily Life recently posted…Cannellini Bean and Parsley Hummus
Serene @ House of Yumm
November 5, 2014 at 10:24 amRobyn this looks fantastic!! I’m so happy you linked this up to Saturday Night Fever! All those flavors in there, oh my! Definitely pinning this one, and can’t wait to give it a try. Hope you’re having a wonderful week my friend 🙂
Serene @ House of Yumm recently posted…Baked Ziti
Patti
November 5, 2014 at 6:30 pmOkay, you got me! This looks so good I can smell it from here! I love trying your recipes, they never disappoint. Thanks for sharing this new one!
Hugs,
Patti
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Marla
November 6, 2014 at 9:29 amHi Robyn,
Just a note to let you know that I choose your post as one of my features for Real Food Fridays blog hop that goes live tonight @ 7 pm EST. Thanks so much for sharing on wonderful recipe with us!
Marla recently posted…“How To Avoid Pesticides, Stay Healthy With EWG Shopping Guide!”
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November 6, 2014 at 4:25 pm[…] Moroccan Fruity Chicken Tagine by Simply Fresh Dinners […]
Nicky
November 6, 2014 at 4:33 pmI love this combination of flavors. Thanks for sharing this with us at Let’s Get Real. I’ve featured your article during this week’s party. I hope you can stop by and join the party again.
Nicky recently posted…Let’s Get Real Friday Party #64
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November 6, 2014 at 7:00 pm[…] Robyn From Simply Fresh Dinners — Moroccan Fruity Chicken Tagine […]
Janet Fazio
November 6, 2014 at 8:56 pmI’m making this for Sunday dinner. I usually make lousy chicken, so hopefully this blend of flavors will be foolproof.
Robyn
November 9, 2014 at 6:45 amI’d love it if you let me know how it turned out for you, Janet! You’re going to like the ease of making this dish. We can tweet your result! 🙂
Robyn recently posted…Southwestern Chili with Bison Meatballs
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November 6, 2014 at 9:00 pm[…] Moroccan Fruity Chicken Tagine from Simply Fresh Dinners […]
Bonnie
November 7, 2014 at 11:32 amThat’s an interesting combination of ingredients. It looks delicious. Thanks for linking up at the Home Matters Linky Party!
~Bonnie
Bonnie recently posted…[Giveaway] Box of Happies: 1-month subscription box of handmade products (November Box)
Donalyn@TheCreeksideCook
November 9, 2014 at 10:14 amHi – I found your blog because of your guest post over on Bobbi’s blog, and I’m really glad that I did. This looks so inviting and the flavors just sound so good together – thank you for a wonderful recipe!
Donalyn@TheCreeksideCook recently posted…Southwest Cornbread Dressing
Robyn
November 9, 2014 at 2:27 pmThanks so much, Donalyn! I was very happy with this dish because the flavours were new to me and I love going outside the box. I hope you will let me know if you try it 🙂 Thanks so much for popping by!
Robyn recently posted…Southwestern Chili with Bison Meatballs
Mary
November 9, 2014 at 4:49 pmyummmmm, I’ve been trying to find some way to use that large jar of turmeric I bought! This sounds like a new favorite to add to the Fall/Winter casserole collection. I like your food photography skills too! I’m going to feature you this week, thank you for sharing these delicious recipes on my blog Robyn!
Margaret Anne @ Natural Chow
November 10, 2014 at 10:37 amMmmm, I’ve been meaning to try making a Moroccan dish for a while and I may have to give this delicious looking dish a try. I bet it tastes amazing!
Margaret Anne @ Natural Chow recently posted…A Hectic Life
Maggie | Omnivore's Cookbook
November 10, 2014 at 10:45 amBeautiful chicken recipe and it looks so easy! I never tried using turmeric and the seasoning looks interesting. You made a good point about trying out new cuisine and spices. I couldn’t agree more and would like to challenge new things to cook too 🙂
Maggie | Omnivore’s Cookbook recently posted…Matcha Cake + A Birthday
Kimberly
November 10, 2014 at 5:51 pmHello beautiful! This looks so amazing. Pinned. Thank you for taking the time to stop by! I hope to see you at our party tonight, it starts at 7 pm. We love to party with you!
Happy Monday! Lou Lou Girls
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November 10, 2014 at 7:18 pm[…] mind as chicken seems to be one very popular dish! I had some chicken thighs left over from the Moroccan Fruity Chicken Tagine recipe and I wanted to make a simple dish with loads of flavour. Enter rosemary and lemon. Both […]
Michelle @ The Complete Savorist
November 16, 2014 at 1:44 amI love this. It looks warm and utterly satisfying.
Michelle @ The Complete Savorist recently posted…Red Pepper and Chickpea Soup with Kale
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December 30, 2014 at 7:58 pm[…] Moroccan Fruity Chicken Tagine by Simply Fresh Dinners […]
Mindy
January 26, 2015 at 4:57 pmLady, you must have been reading my mind! I just texted my daughter last night to ask about some Persian food they had at a wedding reception and spent this morning pinning Persian/Moroccan foods. AND now I find your post – wow, maybe we are related : ) Can’t wait to try this recipe out. I will add it right now to my pins!
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June 13, 2015 at 7:00 pm[…] tagines, like the Moroccan Fruity Chicken Tagine I made last winter, take about an hour but I took a short cut that still produced that deep rich […]