Roasted Chicken “Tagine” with Dates, Olives, and Lemon

Amarante

Sun, Sep 18 2022, 3:46 pm

This was very good - obviously not an authentic tagine but sheet pan meals that include all of the components are great easy recipes and this just requires a simple starch side to catch the delicious juices.

Roasted Chicken “Tagine” with Dates, Olives, and Lemon

Excerpt From: Melissa Clark - Dinner in One

This crisp-skinned roasted chicken has all the flavors of a North African tagine—the fragrant spices, the tangy lemon and olives, and the sweet, almost candied dates—but with the streamlined preparation of a sheet pan meal. Serve it with flatbread that you’ve warmed in the oven while the chicken is roasting, or with the Buttery No-Cook Couscous on this page. You’ll definitely want something to catch all those glorious golden juices.

SERVES 4

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon tomato paste
¾ teaspoon ground turmeric
¾ teaspoon sweet paprika
¾ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Large pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (legs, thighs, breasts, or a combination)
½ pound carrots, halved lengthwise (or quartered if thick)
½ pound sweet potatoes, cut lengthwise into ¾-inch-thick wedges
1 lemon, quartered
½ cup (about 3 ounces) pitted dates, sliced
1 cup mixed olives (with or without pits)
½ cup torn fresh herbs (cilantro, mint, parsley, or a combination), for serving

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and heat oven to 425°F.

2. In a large bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons of the oil, 1½ teaspoons of the salt, the tomato paste, turmeric, paprika, pepper, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and rub the paste all over them, including under the skin. Arrange the chicken on a rimmed sheet pan.

3. In the same bowl (you don’t need to wash it first), toss together the carrots, sweet potatoes, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Arrange the vegetables on the sheet pan with the chicken. Add the lemon quarters to the pan. Roast for 20 minutes.

4. Remove the sheet pan from the oven, then scatter the dates and olives in an even layer around the chicken among the vegetables. Drizzle with a little more oil, then return to the oven and roast until the chicken is cooked through, another 10 to 15 minutes for the white meat, and 15 to 20 minutes for the dark meat.

5. To serve, transfer the chicken to a platter and spoon the vegetables, dates, and olives next to it. Squeeze with the roasted lemon and scatter with the herbs.

SWAP IT OUT

You can substitute whole cherry tomatoes and mushrooms for the carrots and/or sweet potatoes. Add enough to surround the chicken without crowding the pan.