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Chicken and Chickpea Tagine with Apricots and Harissa Sauce

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Chicken and Chickpea Tagine with Apricots and Harissa Sauce is so delicious! Go on an adventure in eating to Morocco, for the price of a few spices!

Chicken and Chickpea Tagine with Apricots and Harissa Sauce, served with Couscous

 

 I couldn’t decide whether to call this dish “Chicken and Chickpea Tagine” or “Bobby Flay, I Think I Love You”. I really wanted to give it the name of the Food Network chef, but I was scared the search engines wouldn’t figure out what I wanted people to be able to find. But YOU may call it “Bobby Flay, I Think I Love You”, if you like. And if you try it, I bet you will.

I found this recipe because I received a box of Moroccan spices from a giveaway at Thyme in our Kitchen, and while I was familiar with the spice blend called “ras al-hanut”, there was another spice blend, called “harissa”,  that I had no idea how to use. So, I googled, and found Bobby Flay’s recipe, that I have adapted here.

On the Road to Morocco with Chicken and Chickpea Tagine

This dish was so good, that I knew I wanted to share it with you! It contained tender, juicy meat, sweetness from the apricots, the deeply complex spiciness of ras al-hanout, and both coolness and heat are found in the harissa sauce.

This dish was an amazing combination of flavors that burst on my tastebuds like a Moroccan sandstorm. Only juicier! And MUCH more flavorful. OK, almost nothing like a Moroccan sandstorm. I was going for the elements of power and speed here, in my little struggling analogy.

Spices and Cooking Methods from Morocco in Chicken and Chickpea Tagine

Don’t be intimidated by a recipe that has terms that may be unfamiliar to you. Let me share with you  what I’ve learned about a tagine, a spice blend called harissa, and one more spice blend: ras al-hanut.

  • Tagine:  tagines (also spelled tajines) are a dish typical to Moroccan cuisine. They are slow cooked stews braised at low temperatures, resulting in meat that is very tender. The meat is simmered with aromatic vegetables and sauce. Moroccan tajines often contain dried fruits and special spice blends. The ceramic vessel they are cooked in is also called a tagine. It’s a flat, circular dish with a conical cover. If you’d like to see a picture of that dish, or research more, here’s a link. I didn’t have a tagine dish, but a Dutch oven works just fine.
  • Harissa: a spice blend, typically used in North African cuisine, principally in Tunisia and Morocco. The ingredients in my jar, made by the Savory Spice Shop, contained roasted red jappone peppers, cumin, coriander, Hungarian and California paprika, garlic, salt, and caraway.
  • Ras al-hanut: is a popular Moroccan blend of spices, whose name literally means “top of the shop”, meaning this is the best blend of spices a seller has to sell. My jar, also from the Savory Spice Shop, contained nutmeg, sea salt, black pepper, ginger, cardamom, mace, cinnamon, ground allspice, turmeric, and saffron. I have, however, made my own blend at home, and at the bottom of this post, I’ll share with you the recipe I was given by my favorite local chef, Chef Deb Paquette

     

Chicken and Chickpea Tagine with Apricots and Harissa Sauce is so delicious! Go on an adventure in eating to Morocco, for the price of a few spices! #chicken #tagine #Morocco #apricots

Chicken and Chickpea Tagine with Apricots and Harissa Sauce is so delicious! Go on an adventure in eating to Morocco, for the price of a few spices!

 
 
 I made a couple of slight adjustments to Chef Flay’s recipe. His harissa sauce calls for crème fraiche, and to cut fat, I used Greek yogurt. That worked well. Also, he is known for enjoying spicy food, so I cut the amount of harissa in my version. He used 1 T. I cut the amount to two teaspoons: it’s fiery hot stuff. And then I ended up adding another tablespoon or two of Greek yogurt to tame the flames a bit more. All that to say,  that you can adjust the heat in this recipe to your own preference.

You could easily use this recipe with chicken breasts, rather than thighs. I used thighs, which are more flavorful (but, they have more fat, too). Just check the temperature of the meat. Poultry needs to be cooked to 165º, and breasts are larger, so they generally take longer to cook.

 
This recipe can be prepared either on the stovetop, or in the oven, according to your preference. I prepared mine in the oven, to mimic slow cooking. For that matter, I don’t know why you couldn’t use a slow cooker.
 
Are you exhausted from all this edumacation I’m giving you?
And you’re ready for the actual recipe for the dish now?
 

Chicken and Chickpea Tagine with Apricots and Harissa Sauce is so delicious! Go on an adventure in eating to Morocco, for the price of a few spices!

One more view, from overhead, just to whet your appetite.

 

Here we go, and remember, even though it has a long ingredient list, it is actually very easy to assemble.

The Recipe for Chicken and Chickpea Tagine with Apricots and Harissa:

Yield: 4 servings

Chicken and Chickpea Tagine with Apricots and Harissa Sauce

Chicken and Chickpea Tagine with Apricots and Harissa Sauce is so delicious! Go on an adventure in eating to Morocco, for the price of a few spices! #chicken #tagine #Morocco #apricots

We're off on the Road to Morocco, with this delicious dish I've adapted from two great chefs, Bobby Flay, and Deb Paquette. A tagine is a slow cooked stew, and this one uses the spice blend known as ras al-hanut. The dish is served with a beautiful fiery yet cool harissa sauce.

Ingredients

  • 2 T. canola oil
  • 8 chicken thighs
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 T. 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 in half
  • Chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
  • Chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
  • HARISSA SAUCE:
  • 1/2 cup creme fraiche
  • 1 tablespoon harissa spice blend
  • Sea salt, to taste

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 400º.

  • 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 T. of the oil from the pan and 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. Place the chicken into the mixture and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook, either 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 is up. Garnish each serving with a dollop of Harissa Sauce, parsley and cilantro.

For the Harissa Sauce

  • Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl and let stand at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator before serving.
 I served this dish with couscous, because it seemed like a more Moroccan thing to do, but I think rice would be great as well.

The Recipe to Make Your Own Ras Al-Hanut Spice Blend:

Ras Al-Hanut Spice Blend

Chicken and Chickpea Tagine with Apricots and Harissa Sauce is so delicious! Go on an adventure in eating to Morocco, for the price of a few spices! #chicken #tagine #Morocco #apricots

You can make your own Ras Al-Hanut Spice blend at home. This recipe was shared with me by Nashville's own Deb Paquette.

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons each of the following spices
  • . freshly ground nutmeg
  • . coriander
  • . cumin
  • . ginger
  • . turmeric
  • . salt
  • . cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons each of these spices
  • . sugar
  • . paprika
  • . black pepper
  • 1 tsp. of these spices
  • . cayenne
  • . cardamom
  • . allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon of
  • . ground clove

Instructions

Mix all spices well. This makes about 8 tablespoons and you can keep the rest in a little jar that you label "Ras al-hanout" till you want to use it again.

Notes

This spice blend is great for flavoring rice, couscous, meatballs or used as a rub on a pork tenderloin, which is how I've used it.


I’d love to hear from you. Ever had Moroccan cuisine? 
Are you a fan of Chef Flay?
 

 

 
 
 

Toni C

Friday 8th of September 2023

OK. I'm back. There were no ingredients posted for the harissa sauce. From the tagine directions it seems that onions, garlic, Ras al-hanout, saffron, water, cinnamon stick, tomatoes, chickpeas, apricots, parsley, cilantro, Greek yogurt are missing from that ingredient list. BTW Kroger may have Ras al-Hanout and Za'atar from time to time.

They used to have harissa but discontinued it at our local Kroger. Harissa is great to add near the end of cooking a lentil soup flavored with diced ham and a sofrito base of diced carrots, celery, onions and red bell peppers. Yes, I like Moroccan/Middle Eastern as well as Asian, Indian, and Mexican/South American cuisine.

Susan Williams

Saturday 16th of September 2023

You are correct. I did not post a recipe for the spice blend for harissa. I used the blend I obtained from the Savory Spice Shop. I did, however list within the post the actual ingredients in the blend of harissa that was gifted to me. If you'd like to make your own, I found a recipe here. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/276693/harissa-powder/ It is also available in paste form.Sometimes my Kroger carries the spice blend, these days, for harissa! Things have changed a lot since I first posted this in 2012.

Toni C

Thursday 7th of September 2023

Help! I think a lot of your ingredients didn't get posted because they don't match what is named in the directions. All that are listed are the spice blend for Ras Al-Hanout (when the title says Harissa) and only "2 T. canola oil, 8 chicken thighs, Salt and freshly ground black pepper, 2 T. olive oil" are listed for the main recipe.

Susan Williams

Saturday 16th of September 2023

When I transferred this recipe over from my old blog, "Wildlife in the Woods", apparently 80% of the ingredients did not make of the journey! Thank you so much for catching this error, Toni, and for bringing it to my attention! I did fix it, and I hope you'll now be able to try it.

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