Moroccan Chicken Tajine: Braised rooster in a wealthy spicy sauce sprinkled with chickpeas and dried apricots. simply yum! serve over couscous for an genuine eating expertise.
after you’ve got performed this, strive the vegetable tajine. meatless delight!
rooster tajine
The tagine is a traditional North African stew made with braised meats and greens in a calmly spiced sauce. it’s historically made in a conical-topped clay pot referred to as a tajine (from which the dish clearly will get its identify!) the lid of a tajine is formed such that any steam trapped within the dome drips again into the dish as condensation, preserving the dish moist whereas it gradual cooks.
There are a lot of forms of tagines. meat, fish and every kind of greens can discover their place on this stew. nuts and preserved fruits comparable to figs, apricots, lemon or olives are additionally typically added for taste and curiosity. Immediately I’ve chosen a Moroccan rooster tagine with dried apricots and chickpeas.
and don’t be concerned! You do not want an precise tagine to make this, we’ll use a boring outdated pot! 😂
what goes within the rooster tajine
The spice mix used on this Moroccan rooster tagine is ras el hanout, a standard North African spice mix utilized in many dishes. Whereas you should purchase pre-made mixes, the stability of flavors could be unpredictable from model to model. it is significantly better to make your individual for a constant end result, and it is cheaper too!
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Bone-in, pores and skin-on rooster thighs are the perfect minimize for a tajine as a result of they’re nonetheless juicy after the 25-minute simmer wanted to thicken the sauce and permit them to prepare dinner. flavors to develop.
rooster thighs are a fantastic various. simply observe the recipe as written. boneless thighs and breasts will work, however it’s best to change the cooking methodology so as to add them again midway via the cooking time of the sauce, in any other case they may overcook. I’ve included instructions within the notes. 🙂
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ras el hanout – the tajine spice combine, made with widespread spices it’s possible you’ll have already got! you should purchase mixes however i want to make my very own to get the precise stability of flavors. the good factor right here is that since we’re utilizing just a few completely different spices right here, it is not the top of the world should you’re lacking one…and even two. I’ve provided some change choices within the recipe notes!
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cinnamon stick: Add to the sauce because it simmers for a good looking scent and taste. I like the scent of cinnamon it offers the dish!
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dried apricots: As talked about above, some variations of tagine are made with olives, others use dried fruit, nonetheless others might use each. I’ve opted for the fruit as a result of it is without doubt one of the few dishes that I like that mixes fruit with meat! nevertheless, I am personally not a fan of dried fruit and olives collectively; I feel it is an excessive amount of. let one or the opposite shine, I say!
nevertheless, the recipe additionally contains the choice of olives.
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Chickpeas: Chickpeas add just a little extra weight to the dish. I solely use canned for comfort, however I’ve included directions within the notes for cooking dry. different beans, comparable to cannelloni and navy beans, are good substitutes, as are lentils.
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garlic and onion – important for the bottom taste of the sauce. It is uncommon to see spicy recipes on this web site that do not begin with these!!
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canned tomato – for the bottom of the sauce. It isn’t strictly conventional, however I like the way it thickens the sauce so it adheres higher to the couscous. with out, the sauce has a really watery consistency. whereas conventional tajines are alleged to be like this, I want a braised sauce!
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rooster broth – so as to add depth to the sauce. should you solely use water, you can see the sauce a bit bland.
For comfort, I usually use retailer-purchased rooster broth, however making it at residence would take this to a different degree. Additionally, vegetable broth could be a superb substitute.
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coriander/cilantro – a recent garnish. Really useful, however not a deal breaker should you’re a type of individuals who cannot stand cilantro. Or if the worth of coriander has skyrocketed these days, because it has right here in Sydney because of excessive climate circumstances. 😭
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preserved lemon – an ingredient utilized in Moroccan and a few Indian cooking that’s typically utilized in conventional tajines. By chance omitted from the elements picture above, so I am giving it airtime with a giant picture! 😂
preserved lemon is lemon merely pickled in salt. the salt softens the sharpness of the lemon juice and transforms the flavour remarkably, intensifying the earthiness of the lemon taste within the zest.
It is fairly straightforward to search out today within the huge Australian grocery shops (coles, woolies, harris farms), however don’t be concerned if you cannot discover it. it is nonetheless price making a tagine with out it !
how one can use preserved lemon: we solely use the peel as that is the place all the flavour is! Take a chunk out of the jar and scrape out the pith (white a part of the rind) and the pulp with a teaspoon (it is rather salty and in addition bitter). rinse the rind nicely beneath faucet water to take away extra salt, then chop finely with a knife.
how one can make rooster tajine
Sear the pores and skin of the rooster till golden brown, then simmer within the spice-infused sauce. easy!
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stuffing the apricots: Cowl the dried apricots with boiling water and let stand for half-hour.
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brown rooster – season the rooster with salt and pepper and brown the pores and skin very nicely in a pan. this takes a superb 8 to 10 minutes. do not shorten this step! the browned pores and skin provides a load of taste to the rooster, plus it leaves little browned bits caught to the pan (referred to as “backside”) that add useful taste to the sauce.
as soon as the pores and skin aspect is properly browned, sear the opposite aspect for simply 1 minute, then take away. the rooster is not going to be totally cooked at this stage. we’ll end cooking it within the sauce.
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Saute Aromatics and Spices: Sauté onion and garlic, then prepare dinner spices briefly. Sautéing the spices earlier than including liquids is an effective tip to launch extra taste from the spices. it actually is for tajines!
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tagine sauce – add the chickpeas, apricot, tomato, lemon confit, broth and cinnamon stick. stir, then deliver to a simmer.
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High with Chicken: Merely place rooster on high, pores and skin aspect up. it will likely be partially submerged, however the meat must be largely under the liquid, whereas the pores and skin largely sits on high of the liquid, which is strictly what you need, this manner the browning of the pores and skin is usually preserved throughout cooking. stew.
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simmer coated 5 minutes – modify warmth as wanted to simmer gently. not too quick, in any other case the underside of the pot will burn.
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simmer uncovered 20 minutes: Take away lid, then simmer uncovered 20 minutes, or till inside temperature of rooster is 70° c/158°f (which generally is a little lower than 20 minutes). don’t be concerned if it goes above this temperature, as bone-in rooster thighs are a really juicy minimize, so they’re very forgiving.
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serve! the tagine is historically served over couscous. I’ve included a bit extra data under with some couscous taste choices in addition to some alternate options for different carb companions.
what to serve with rooster tajine
couscous
Tajine is normally served over couscous. plain couscous is ok, although very good with a little bit of dried fruit and/or nuts sprinkled all through, or a splash of recent lemon. You will discover a number of taste choices within the couscous recipe.
different starchy car choices
rice (white, brown, basmati), pearl couscous (the giants), quinoa, and another small-grain, starchy meals appropriate for dipping in sauce are good alternate options. even mashed potato or cauliflower puree could be nice. simply one thing to toss on all that scrumptious sauce!
In case you’re attempting low carb, then cauliflower rice will work simply effective too. actually, I feel the marginally nutty taste of the roasted cauliflower rice would go rather well with the rooster tajine!
aspect salad
I feel a light-weight and easy salad is sweet to pair with spicy dishes like rooster tajine. some options:
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shredded pink cabbage, carrot and mint salad (a daily in my Moroccan or Center Japanese meals)
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leafy greens tossed with my on a regular basis salad dressing (a simple various, something goes) or pomegranate dressing (for extra unique vibes)
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Cucumber Salad with Herb and Garlic French dressing
if you wish to have extra influence, strive considered one of these:
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Ottolenghi inexperienced bean salad (I’m actually obsessive about this salad!)
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Grilled aubergines with yogurt sauce
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roasted pumpkin with yogurt sauce and pine nuts
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glorious roasted carrots
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Roasted Broccolini with Tahini Sauce (Ottolenghi Recipe)
or – discover your individual excellent salad right here. 🥬
I would love to listen to what you assume should you do that! – nagi x
see how one can do it
extra Moroccan recipes
dozer life
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