Chicken Tagine with Chickpeas and Apricots

Amarante

Sun, May 12 2024, 9:53 am

This was excellent - not Ashkenazi and even though Tagines are Morrocan, I don't think they are traditionally Sephardic but I could be wrong LOL

Not sure if serving for Shabbos was blasphemous Very Happy

Ignore the usual America's Test Kitchen of why they settled on this version unless you are a food nerd. Smile

Chicken Tagine with Chickpeas and Apricots

Excerpt From: America's Test Kitchen. “The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook

SERVES 8

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Tagines are a North African specialty: exotically spiced, assertively flavored stews slow-cooked in earthenware vessels of the same name. They can include all manner of meats, vegetables, and fruit. Traditional recipes usually require a time-consuming cooking method, a special pot (the tagine), and hard-to-find ingredients; we wanted to make tagine more accessible. First off, we found that braising in a Dutch oven was a serviceable substitute for stewing for hours in a tagine. Almost all of the recipes we collected called for a whole chicken, cut into pieces. The batches we made with both white and dark meat had more depth and character than those with just white meat. We gave the dark meat a head start to ensure that all of the chicken was ready at the same time.

Chickpeas, carrots, onion, and garlic rounded out the stew. Next we tackled the defining spices.

The spice blend for tagines can contain upward of 30 spices; we experimented until we landed on a blend that was short on ingredients but long on flavor. Cumin and ginger lent depth, cinnamon brought warmth that tempered a little cayenne heat, and citrusy coriander boosted the stew’s lemon flavor (as did a couple of broad ribbons of lemon zest); paprika colored the broth a deep, attractive red and lent a pleasant sweetness, as did dried apricots.

Serve with Simple Couscous.

3 (2-inch) strips lemon zest plus 3 tablespoons juice
5 garlic cloves, minced
4 pounds bone-in chicken pieces (split breasts cut in half, drumsticks, and/or thighs), trimmed
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, halved and sliced ¼ inch thick
1¼ teaspoons paprika
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups chicken broth
2 carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced ½ inch thick
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup dried apricots, halved
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1. Mince 1 strip lemon zest and combine with 1 teaspoon garlic in bowl; set aside.

2. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown half of chicken well, 5 to 8 minutes per side; transfer to large plate. Repeat with remaining chicken; transfer to plate. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot.

3. Add onion and remaining 2 lemon zest strips to fat left in pot and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining garlic, paprika, cumin, cayenne, ginger, coriander, and cinnamon and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in broth, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in carrots, chickpeas, and honey and bring to simmer.

4. Nestle chicken into pot along with any accumulated juices and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until breasts register 160 degrees and drumsticks/thighs register 175 degrees, about 20 minutes for breasts and 1 hour for thighs and drumsticks. (If using both types of chicken, simmer thighs and drumsticks for 40 minutes before adding breasts.)

5. Transfer chicken to bowl, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest while finishing sauce. Discard lemon zest. Using large spoon, skim excess fat from surface of sauce. Stir in apricots, return sauce to simmer over medium heat, and cook until apricots are heated through, about 5 minutes. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to pot. Stir in cilantro, lemon juice, and garlic–lemon zest mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.