One-Pot Chicken Tagine

By Lunds & Byerlys

October 6, 2023

Moroccan in origin, “tagine” is the name of a traditional Moroccan clay cooking vessel. But you don’t need one to make this One-Pot Chicken Tagine recipe. We used a skillet, but a Dutch oven would work great, too.


Tagine recipes are traditionally a blend of spices with protein. Here, we marinate bone-in chicken thighs in yogurt to make the meat super juicy and tender. Then we sear and braise the chicken with leeks, fennel, tomato paste, chicken stock and sherry. The chicken comes out of the oven so tender it falls right off the fork and into your mouth. Finally, we garnish it with a nice briny relish of olives, peppers and capers which gives the dish just the right amount of kick. Serve it with a side of couscous to soak up all of that glorious extra sauce.


Warm and hardy with a quick cook time, this one-pot dish is completely company-friendly, yet easy to make on a weeknight. It’s also incredibly simple to store and reheat — put the lid back on your pan and stick it in the fridge for leftovers night.


SERVINGS

4-6

PREP TIME

15 min + 1 hr marinating time

COOK TIME

20 min

Ingredients

  • ¾
    cup full-fat Greek yogurt
  • 2
    tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • Zest of one lemon
  • 2
    tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2
    teaspoons ground turmeric
  • 1
    teaspoon chili powder
  • 1
    teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 1
    teaspoon paprika
  • 1
    teaspoon sumac
  • 4
    bone-in chicken thighs
  • 1 ½
    tablespoons kosher salt

For the tagine:

  • 5
    tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 ½
    cups thinly sliced leek whites
  • 1 ½
    cups cored and thinly sliced fennel bulbs, fronds reserved
  • ½
    cup fino sherry
  • 2
    tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2
    cups unsalted chicken stock
  • ½
    cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved lengthwise
  • 1
    tablespoon chopped fennel fronds
  • 1
    small jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1
    tablespoon drained capers
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 2
    cups couscous, cooked to package instructions

Directions

  1. 1

    To marinate the chicken: In a large bowl stir together the Greek yogurt, olive oil, lemon zest and juice, turmeric, chili powder, white pepper, paprika and sumac. Season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt, add them to the marinade and toss until evenly coated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour and up to overnight.

  2. 2

    To make the tagine: Remove the chicken from the marinade. Heat a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sear the chicken thighs skin-side down until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

  3. 3

    Add the leeks and fennel to the skillet and sauté until tender, about 3 minutes.

  4. 4

    Carefully pour in the sherry and continue to cook, scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, until the sherry has almost evaporated, about 3 minutes.

  5. 5

    Add the tomato paste and stir until fully incorporated. Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer.

  6. 6

    Return the chicken thighs to the pan, skin-side up. Cover and cook at a low simmer for 20 minutes or until the chicken is tender and registers 165 F on an instant-read thermometer.

  7. 7

    While the chicken is cooking, prepare the topping: In a small bowl, combine the Kalamata olives, fennel fronds, jalapeño pepper, capers, lemon zest and the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Set aside.

  8. 8

    Garnish the tagine with the olive topping and serve with the couscous.

  9. 9

    The leftover chicken and sauce can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Recipe source: Ingredient 

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