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Chicken Tagine Recipe By Mary Berry

This chicken tagine can be made in advance and is ideal for freezing.
@This chicken tagine can be made in advance and is ideal for freezing.
by Lorna White |
Updated on

Preparation Time

1 hr 15

Serves

4

Nutrition

N/A

Puree

Pull some chicken off the bone and blend with the apricots and prunes, adding gravy if needed.

Finger Food

Pull some chicken off the bone and chop into pieces, serving with a few apricots.

Ingredients

  • 8 bone-in chicken thighs

  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 tbsp olive oil

  • 1 large onion, coarsely chopped

  • 20g fresh root ginger, finely chopped

  • 2 tsp ground coriander

  • 2 tsp ground cumin

  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon

  • 3 large ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped

  • 2 large garlic cloves, crushed

  • 1½ tsp harissa paste

  • 1 tbsp runny honey (leave out for babies under 12 months)

  • 450ml chicken stock

  • 75g ready-to-eat dried apricots

  • 75g ready-to-eat pitted prunes

  • 1 preserved lemon

  • 4 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh coriander

The dried fruit in this dish gives it a delicious sweetness, and it tastes even better if you cook ahead and then reheat. Carry on the Moroccan theme and serve with couscous

  1. Skin, trim, and season the chicken. Heat the oil in a flameproof casserole over a medium–high heat until hot and fry the chicken in 2 batches until golden brown on all sides. Remove using a slotted spoon, transfer to a large plate, and set aside.

  2. Add the onion and ginger to the oil in the pan and soften over a low heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of the pan to release any sticky bits left from the chicken. Add the ground spices and fry for 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly.

  3. Stir in the tomatoes and increase the heat to medium. Add the garlic, harissa paste, and honey (leave out for babies under 12 months), and stir well again. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil, stirring often. Return the reserved chicken to the pan, together with the juices that have collected on the plate.

  4. Quarter the apricots, prunes, and preserved lemon, and remove the pips from the lemon. Add the fruits to the pan. Press down the chicken and fruits to submerge them in the sauce.

  5. Cover and simmer gently over a medium–low heat for 1 hour or until the chicken is tender and cooked through. Lift the lid and check occasionally during this time, turning the chicken over to ensure even cooking. Leave to cool, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

  6. The following day, slowly reheat the tagine for about 10 minutes or until the chicken is hot and the sauce gently bubbling. Stir in about half the chopped coriander and taste the sauce for seasoning. Serve hot, sprinkled with the remaining coriander.

Find more Mary Berry recipes here

This recipe is taken from Mary Berry Cooks the Perfect (DK, £25, dk.com). Also available to download on iBooks.

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