Chicken and Chickpea Tagine with Apricots and Harissa Sauce

Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay

Show: Boy Meets GrillEpisode: Moroccan

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (19)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(19)

Cook Time:
45 min
Level:
Intermediate
Yield:
4 servings

Times:

Prep: 5 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 45 min
Total:: 50 min

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Ingredients

2 tablespoons canola oil
8 chicken thighs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ras al-hanut*
Large pinch saffron, soaked in 1/4 cup warm water
1 cinnamon stick
1 1/2 cups canned diced tomatoes, drained (15-ounce can)
1 1/2 cups canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained (15-ounce can)
3/4 cup dried apricots, sliced into half moons
Harissa Sauce, recipe follows
Chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
Chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
*Cook's Note: Ras al-hanut is a mixture of many different spices used in Moroccan cooking. It is available at spice markets or online.

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat canola oil in a large Dutch oven or a tagine over high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides and place in the hot pan, skin side down, in batches if needed; cook until golden brown. Turn the thighs over and cook for 2 minutes longer. Remove chicken to a plate.

Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the oil from the pan then add the olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the ras al-hanut and cook another 30 seconds. Add the saffron with the soaking liquid, cinnamon stick, tomatoes, chickpeas, and apricots and bring to a simmer. Nestle the chicken into the mixture and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook on the stovetop or in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until the chicken is tender. Do not remove the lid to check on the chicken until this time. Garnish each serving with a dollop of Harissa Sauce, parsley and cilantro.

Harissa Sauce:

1/2 cup creme fraiche

1 tablespoon harissa*

Salt

*Cook's Note: Harissa is a fiery paste of chiles, garlic, and spices. It is available at specialty markets.

Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl and let stand at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator before serving.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Chicken and Chickpea Tagine with Apricots and Harissa Sauce
ANDREW beachwood, OH 08-21-2009
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lLke eating at a great Moroccan restaurant
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This was really delicious and pretty easy to make, though it did have several steps. I made it exactly as written and served... it with the carrot salad and couscous recipies from this episode and they wre all great!Read more
recipe Chicken and Chickpea Tagine with Apricots and Harissa Sauce
Bert Redmond, WA 06-11-2009
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Excellent!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This dish is so flavorful and delightful to eat. This is the first recipe that I made in my new tagine and it was pretty easy... to make. I think I am starting to prefer homecooked Morrocan food more than dining out at a restaurant. Creme-fraiche and harissa sauce really complements the spicyness of the chicken and broth very well.Read more
recipe Chicken and Chickpea Tagine with Apricots and Harissa Sauce
LORRAINE cave creek, AZ 05-14-2009
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Delicious
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This recipe is tasty wonderful, always looking for new ways to cook chicken and this was definitely a keeper. Bought the... spice mix at the local market and made it for my husband and son, we all licked our plates clean. Will try it with the whole menu again tonight.Read more
recipe Chicken and Chickpea Tagine with Apricots and Harissa Sauce
Laverne Kirkland, WA 02-18-2009
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Fabulous Moroccan dinner!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I saw Bobby Flay make this dish along with other Moroccan dishes and was fascinated. I downloaded all four of his recipes: ... this tagine, his carrot salad (room temp), couscous with currants and almonds, and his cinnamon oranges. Our guests kept going back and back to the buffet for more of these wonderful dishes. My creme fraiche didn't set up so I used sour cream with the harissa (which I had a difficult time finding, finally at Whole Foods) - it was okay, but the next day I used the now-set-up creme fraiche with the harissa for leftover sauce (they cleaned up the chicken) and it was divine, MUCH better. I cooked my couscous in chicken broth and added sliced green onions, too. I added a can of kidney beans to the tagine for more color. Other than these small changes, I made each dish as written. It was delicious, wonderful, so aromatic, and so different. You'll love it, too!! Our guests certainly did!!Read more
recipe Chicken and Chickpea Tagine with Apricots and Harissa Sauce
Kathy Vancouver, WA 02-13-2009
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An ideal blend of meat, spice and fruit - and very easy.
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I don't always like 'exotic' recipes that blend fruit with meat - but this was really well balanced and the apricots were... great in this dish. I ordered ras al-hanout from Zamouri spices website and it was not expensive. This particular blend is 35 different spices and it was really nice. I did not drain the canned tomatoes before adding them. I browned the chicken thighs and then used a chicken sized covered roaster in the oven for 25min (not the 35-40 in the recipe) - but then I was making this in the morning and gently warmed it up again in the microwave at dinner time. I might have cooked it 30 minutes or so if I was going to serve it right away. Ingredient wise- I didn't buy garnish but otherwise stuck to the recipe. This was really really very good, rich and savory and slightly sweet. Next time I will try either chicken breasts or skinless thighs, my only reservation was the large amount of fat (grease) created by the thighs -even after browning, draining and moving to another pan. Also, would love to try the suggestion of double ras al-hanut (2 Tbsp.)Read more
recipe Chicken and Chickpea Tagine with Apricots and Harissa Sauce
Naomi san francisco, CA 11-10-2008
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Huge Hit & Incredibly Easy to Make
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I served this last night for a dinner party and everyone adored it. Much to my dismay, I had no leftovers -- so I made it... again today! It is still fantastically delicious. Having made it twice and two slightly different ways, I would strongly urge you to add 2 Tablespoons of the special spice blend (which I looked up online & is very easy to make on your own). Also, I added lemon slices last night and they were good -- but the rind was a bit bitter and I think threw the rest of the flavor profiles off. However it was nice to put them on top of the chicken pieces. Also, I used 10 chicken thighs each time I made this because they come that way at my grocery store (and I just couldn't bring myself not to use the other 2 thighs...). When I made it today I was out of saffron. It is still delicious, but I can definitely note its absence. Instead of lemons today (yes, I just had to fuss) I added some green olives stuffed with garlic. Yum. I think the best part of this dish is the way the dried apricots soak up all of these gorgeous flavors. That and the fact that it literally only takes about 5 minutes of puttering around in the kitchen to accomplish something that seems miraculous. Enjoy!Read more