Chicken Tagine with Prunes

Name: Chicken Tagine with Prunes
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 40 min
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 4 people
Ingredients: 1.2 kg (2lb 12oz) chicken breasts or whole chicken cut into 12 pieces; 75 g (5 tbsp) plain all-purpose flour; 2 tablespoon olive oil; 5 cloves garlic; 5 cm piece fresh ginger; ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper; 2 tablespoon ground cumin; 1 tablespoon 4-spices powder; 1 tablespoon ground coriander; 1 cinnamon stick; 600 ml (1 pint) chicken stock; prig fresh thyme; 3 tomatoes; 24 juicy Agen prunes; Pinch saffron; 25 g (1oz/ 1 tbsp) almond slivers; 1 tablespoon fresh coriander leaves; pomegranate seeds

User Reviews

5.0

15 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 20 mins
Total Time
2 hrs
Servings
4 people
Calories
614 kcal
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
French, Moroccan

Chicken Tagine with Prunes

Iris Warren

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A lightly spiced chicken tagine recipe with prunes. Top with toasted almonds, fresh coriander and pomegranate seeds - perfect winter comfort food with an accompanying plate of semolina with sultana raisins. Based on a lamb tagine with prunes but made with chicken pieces or oyster fowl.

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Ingredients

Servings

1.2 kg (2lb 12oz) chicken breasts or whole chicken cut into 12 pieces (or oyster fowl)
75 g (5 tbsp) plain all-purpose flour (T45 in France)
2 tablespoon olive oil
5 cloves garlic peeled & grated
5 cm piece fresh ginger grated
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more if you like it hot!)
2 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon 4-spices powder (cloves, cinnamon, ginger, pepper)
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 cinnamon stick
600 ml (1 pint) chicken stock
prig fresh thyme
3 tomatoes chopped (or 20 cherry tomatoes)
24 juicy Agen prunes (without stones)*
Pinch saffron ground or strands (optional)

Tagine Garnish

25 g (1oz/ 1 tbsp) almond slivers toasted under grill, for garnish
1 tablespoon fresh coriander leaves for garnish
pomegranate seeds (optional)

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Instructions

Coat the chicken in flour and fry in olive oil in a large non-stick casserole dish. When browned on all sides, strain and remove from the pot and keep aside on a plate. Add the grated garlic, ginger and cayenne and fry for a minute. Add the rest of the spices and fry for a further minute.
Add the chicken back to the pot with the chicken stock, saffron, if using, and thyme. Cover and cook on low heat for at least an hour. If using cherry tomatoes, roast in the oven at 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/6 for 15 minutes.
After an hour, add the tomatoes and prunes. Cook for a further 30 minutes with the lid off - the sauce will thicken up nicely with the prunes. Stir well a couple of times. Prepare the semolina, as per packet instructions and serve with toasted almond slivers and the fresh coriander leaves.

Notes

Prunes can be replaced by dried apricots, which combine well with the chicken.
Tagine Serving Suggestions
Make Ahead Recipe
The tagine can be made the day before and reheated before serving. Also freezes well in advance. Make the first part without the prunes. Cool, chill & freeze then after defrosting, reheat adding the prunes and continue the rest of the recipe.
This serves 4 good portions or 6 if for a smaller appetite.
Serve with semolina (100g per person/100ml water including a tablespoon orange blossom water, a tablespoon olive oil for 6, pepper, salt, olive oil), prepare as of packet instructions and add a knob of butter when reheating.
Top with pomegranate arils and extra freshly chopped coriander.
Goes well with a Moroccan red wine (we love 'Tandem', a syrah fruity/peppery red made as a joint effort by Alain Graillot and Ouled Thaleb winery near Casablanca).