Mastering Chicken Breasts In A Tagine: A Tasty Guide

Chicken tagine is a classic North African dish, traditionally cooked in a clay vessel with a cone-shaped lid, also known as a tagine. The dish is a stew, often made with chicken, vegetables, spices, and fruit. While chicken thighs are the most common choice for tagine, chicken breast can also be used. This paragraph will explore how to cook chicken breast in a tagine.

Choosing the right cut of chicken

Chicken tagine is a traditional Moroccan dish of chicken braised with spices, garlic, onion, and other ingredients. While you can use a whole cut-up chicken for chicken tagine, some recipes suggest using chicken breasts, which are more common in the West. However, in Morocco, you would more likely be served a cut such as a thigh.

Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs are considered the best cut for a tagine because they remain juicy after the simmering time required to thicken the sauce and develop the flavours. Chicken legs are a terrific alternative and can be cooked in the same way. Boneless thighs and breasts will work, but the cooking method should be altered to add them partway through the sauce simmering time, or they will overcook.

If you are using chicken breasts, it is recommended to fully cook them through in the pan, make the sauce, and then cut the chicken into thick slices, tossing them through the sauce just before serving.

Preparing your tagine

A tagine is a clay cooking pot with a cone-shaped lid, traditionally used in North African cooking. If you don't have a tagine, you can use a Dutch oven, a deep skillet, or a slow cooker. If you're using a tagine for the first time, you'll need to cure it by soaking it in water for 24 hours, drying it off, rubbing it with olive oil, and then baking it in the oven at 225°F for 2 hours. Always wash your tagine by hand and don't soak it in soapy water. If you have a gas stove, use a metal heat diffuser and don't place the tagine directly on the flame.

When preparing your ingredients, you can use bone-in or boneless chicken breasts, thighs, or tenders. If you're using bone-in chicken, it's best to use skin-on thighs as they remain juicy and tender. If you're using boneless chicken breasts, adjust the cooking method by adding them partway through the sauce's simmering time to prevent overcooking.

For the aromatics, you'll need onions, garlic, and ginger. For spices, ground cumin, cinnamon, hot paprika, ground coriander, turmeric, cayenne pepper, ground ginger, and ground black pepper are commonly used. You can also make your own spice blend or use a store-bought blend like Ras el hanout.

For vegetables, commonly used ingredients include carrots, tomatoes, and potatoes. You can also add chickpeas, California prunes, dried apricots, and olives.

For liquids, use chicken broth or stock. You can also add lemon juice and honey for some acidity and sweetness.

To start cooking, heat some olive oil in your tagine or cooking vessel over medium-high heat. Add your aromatics and sauté until soft and lightly golden. Then, add your chicken and vegetables, and cook until the chicken is browned. Add your spices and allow them to bloom in the hot oil for 30-45 seconds. Pour in your tomato puree, chicken stock, and other liquids, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the chicken is done and the sauce reduces.

Finally, add any dried fruit or olives, and adjust the seasoning with salt and honey to taste. Serve your chicken tagine over a bed of couscous or with Moroccan bread, pita bread, or rice.

Sautéing and browning the chicken

Firstly, season both sides of the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Then, heat oil in a large, deep skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Place the chicken in the skillet, skin side down, and cook for 8-10 minutes, until deep golden. This step should not be rushed as it adds a lot of flavour to the dish. Turn the chicken and cook the flesh side for 1 minute, then remove from the heat.

Next, pour off and discard all but 1-2 tablespoons of fat from the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions. Cook until they are soft and lightly golden, which should take around 5-7 minutes. Then, add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until fragrant.

At this point, you can add the spices and cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute, until fragrant. You can also add flour at this stage if you want to thicken the sauce. Then, pour in the liquid ingredients and bring to a simmer.

Adding spices and vegetables

The spices and vegetables you add to your chicken tagine will depend on your personal preference and the type of tagine you are making. Tagines are usually made from clay and have a signature dome-shaped lid. They are most commonly used in North African cooking and are often cooked in one pot from start to finish.

Spices

• Ras el hanout – a spice blend common in North African cuisine that can be bought pre-made or made at home. It includes cumin, ginger, black pepper, allspice, cinnamon, coriander, and clove powder.
• Cinnamon
• Cayenne pepper
• Ground ginger
• Ground coriander
• Ground cinnamon
• Hot paprika
• Turmeric
• Curry powder
• Cumin
• Garam masala
• Cumin
• Coriander
• Allspice
• Paprika
• Saffron

Vegetables

• Onion
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Carrots
• Tomatoes
• Chickpeas
• Potatoes
• Peas
• Parsley
• Olives
• Preserved lemons
• Prunes
• Apricots
• Lemons
• Fennel
• Brussels sprouts
• Pomegranate
• Coriander
• Cinnamon stick
• Canned tomato
• Chicken stock
• Coriander / cilantro
• Dried apricots
• Kalamata olives
• Slivered almonds
• Red cabbage
• Carrot
• Mint
• Leafy greens
• Cucumber
• Green beans
• Eggplant
• Pumpkin
• Broccolini
• Cauliflower rice

Serving suggestions

Chicken tagine is a traditional Moroccan dish, and is best served with couscous for an authentic experience. Couscous is a popular side dish in North African cuisine and is the perfect starchy vehicle to soak up all the delicious sauce.

If you don't fancy couscous, there are other options. Rice (white, brown, or basmati), pearl couscous, quinoa, and mashed potato or mashed cauliflower are all good alternatives. If you're looking for a low-carb option, cauliflower rice is a great choice and its slight nutty flavour goes well with chicken tagine.

For a light, simple side salad to pair with the spice-infused tagine, you could try a shredded red cabbage, carrot, and mint salad, a leafy greens salad, or a cucumber salad with herb garlic vinaigrette.

For something more substantial, you could try an Ottolenghi green bean salad, grilled eggplant with yoghurt sauce, roasted pumpkin with yoghurt sauce and pine nuts, roasted carrots, or broccolini with tahini sauce.

Frequently asked questions