Citrus Chicken Tagine

  4.7 – 33 reviews  • Main Dish
Level: Easy
Total: 2 hr 30 min
Active: 30 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Level: Easy
Total: 2 hr 30 min
Active: 30 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

  1. 2 tablespoons harissa
  2. 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  3. 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
  4. 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  5. 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  6. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  7. 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  8. 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  9. 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
  10. 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
  11. 2 Cara Cara oranges, zested, then cut into 8 pieces
  12. 4 tablespoons canola oil
  13. 8 bone-in chicken thighs
  14. Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  15. 4 cloves garlic, minced
  16. 1 Spanish onion, diced
  17. 1 1/2 cups canned whole tomatoes, hand crushed
  18. 1 cup chicken stock
  19. 1 cup large green olives, pitted
  20. 1/2 cup dried apricots, diced
  21. 1/4 cup chopped preserved lemon
  22. Cooked couscous, for serving
  23. 1 Meyer lemon, thinly sliced
  24. Fresh cilantro and mint leaves, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Heat a wide braising pan or tagine over medium-high heat.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the harissa, paprika, turmeric, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, coriander, allspice, cardamom, cayenne, orange zest and 2 tablespoons of canola oil. Stir to form a paste.
  3. Season the chicken with salt and pepper; rub half of the spice mixture on both sides of the thighs.
  4. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons canola oil to the pan. Sear the chicken skin-side down until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Flip and brown the other side. Remove to a plate.
  5. Add the garlic, onion and remaining spice mixture to the same pan, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the onions are softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
  6. Return the chicken to the pan along with the tomatoes, chicken stock, olives, apricots, preserved lemon and sliced oranges and season with salt and pepper, being careful with the salt. Braise in the oven, partially covered, for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Uncover and continue to braise until the chicken is tender, another 15 to 45 minutes. Serve from the pan over couscous, garnishing with sliced Meyer lemon and whole cilantro and mint leaves.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 of 6 servings
Calories 844
Total Fat 57 g
Saturated Fat 13 g
Carbohydrates 36 g
Dietary Fiber 7 g
Sugar 14 g
Protein 48 g
Cholesterol 253 mg
Sodium 1274 mg
Serving Size 1 of 6 servings
Calories 844
Total Fat 57 g
Saturated Fat 13 g
Carbohydrates 36 g
Dietary Fiber 7 g
Sugar 14 g
Protein 48 g
Cholesterol 253 mg
Sodium 1274 mg

Reviews

Mark Rubio
Wonderful!! Followed the recipe, no changes. Amazing flavors. Will make this again.
Donna Hardin
Harissa can be bought in mild, spicy, or even smoky in my grocery store. Wonder what he used in this recipe watching the episode now I couldn’t tell.
Matthew Patterson
A unique flavor profile but delicious. I used boneless chicken breast and it was still great!
Melissa Ortiz
I love this recipe, I don’t have all the spices in my cupboard but I’ve done some research to make up for the ones I don’t have with the ones I do have. I also like to marinade my chicken in the spice oil lemon zest/orange zest mixture overnight. I don’t use the preserved lemons as I find them always too salty for any dish, so I just use the meyer lemon in their place and they get really soft and juicy in the braise. Just a lovely dish that has so many beautiful flavors. It’s one of our go-to’s!
Zachary Smith
GZ you are a gift to the home cook. Another amazing dish:). I didn’t have preserved lemon but had everything else and it was amazing!
Philip Brown
WAY too much heat in this recipe! At least half the harissa and half the cayenne next time, as it OVERPOWERS the other flavors in this dish. I also deglazed the pan with some Pinot Grigio before adding the chicken, and used a  garlic primavera risotto instead of couscous.
Robin Thompson
the dish was for a family dinner. We needed something unique and relatively easy. this dish served the purpose. It was flavorful, different, easy and everyone (including a 3 year old) said it was delicious. substitutions:  i used skinless, boneless thighs and chopped up a peeled lemon instead of preserved lemons. 
Crystal Young
I have made this several times and also other tagine recipes but this is the best.
Charles Alvarado
This is one of the best dishes I’ve made.  With the number of ingredients, it looked a bit intimidating.  It was easy and straightforward and SO flavorful.  The only substitute was that I didn’t have harissa so used sambal oelek. Anyone used boneless chicken breast?  Now trying to fit this into Weight Watchers points
Brent Washington
Don’t be intimidated by the number of ingredients – it’s an easy prep and the result is an incredibly fragrant, mouthwatering, absolutely delicious meal!!

 

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