Chicken and Merguez Tagine
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 4 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 4 servings
- Calories
- 1936
- Total Fat
- 120
- Saturated Fat
- 29
- Carbohydrates
- 127
- Dietary Fiber
- 18
- Sugar
- 20
- Protein
- 88
- Cholesterol
- 349
- Sodium
- 2240
- Total: 1 hr 50 min
- Active: 45 min
Ingredients
Spice Mix:
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Tagine:
6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large or 3 medium carrots, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick coins
1 large yellow onion, halved and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
One 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, drained
1 pound merguez sausage, cut into 2-inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups unsalted chicken broth, heated, or more as needed
1/2 cup pitted green olives
1/2 preserved lemon, skin only, julienned
Couscous:
2 cups couscous
1/2 cup raisins
3 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup toasted almond slices
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Directions
Special equipment:
a large, family-sized cast-iron tagine- For the spice mix: In a small bowl, add the cumin, paprika, turmeric, coriander, ginger, cayenne and cinnamon. Stir to combine and set aside.
- For the tagine: Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick saute pan over medium-high heat until hot, then add the chicken, skin-side down, and sear until browned on both sides, 5 to 7 minutes per side.
- Meanwhile, place a large, family-sized cast-iron tagine on a low heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil plus the spice mix. Cook until the spices have bloomed and the oil is hot, 2 to 3 minutes, then add the carrots and onions and allow them to slightly soften, about 3 minutes. Add the chickpeas, sausage, garlic and seared chicken. Carefully add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Nestle in the olives and preserved lemon, then lower the heat and cover the tagine. Continue cooking over low heat for about 1 hour. Add more chicken broth slowly if needed (see Cook's Note).
- For the couscous: Meanwhile, in a large metal bowl add the couscous, raisins, olive oil, turmeric and salt and mix together.
- Bring the broth to a boil, then add to the couscous until it is covered and the liquid is a little more than 1/2 inch above the couscous. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit until the liquid is absorbed, preferably in a warm part of the kitchen, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Pour the couscous onto a very large platter. Remove the chicken from the tagine to a work surface. Pour the vegetables from the tagine around the couscous. Put the chicken on top of the vegetables and garnish the whole platter with the toasted almonds and parsley.
Cook’s Note
If using a clay tagine, always add warm chicken broth because clay tagines can crack if you add cold liquid to them.