Influenced over thousands of years by Berber, Jewish and Arab cultures, Moroccan food is an exciting blend of spices and textures. Morocco’s defining national dish is tagine and it’s one of our favorite Moroccan dishes here at Zoom. The word tagine refers to the shallow clay vessel with a cone-shaped lid that the dish is traditionally cooked in, however you don’t need one to make it. We use our large cast-iron dutch oven, but a cast-iron braiser would work perfectly too. Fragrant spices and dried fruits lend a Moroccan flavor to this stew inspired by the classic tagine, but this version requires no special pot. Serve over couscous accompanied by a small bowl of harissa sauce for those who like it spicy.

Moroccan Chicken and Apricot Tagine

Servings: 4 to 6
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 45 Minutes
Total Time: 1 Hour

INGREDIENTS

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 lemon

• 5 cloves garlic, minced

• 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 4 pounds), trimmed of excess skin and fat (see note)

• Salt and ground black pepper

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 large yellow onion, halved and cut into 1/4-in-thick slices

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 1-3/4 cups chicken broth

• 2 tablespoons honey

• ½ cup dried apricots, seperated into halves

• ⅓ cup whole blanched almonds

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine the spices in a small bowl and set aside. Zest the lemon. Combine 1 teaspoon of the lemon zest with 1 minced garlic clove; set aside.

2. Season both sides of chicken pieces with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or pan over medium-high heat until beginning to smoke. Brown the chicken pieces skin side down in single layer until deep golden, about 5 minutes; using tongs, flip the chicken pieces over and brown the other side, about 4 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a large plate; when cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and discard. Pour off and discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan.

3. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until they have browned at the edges but still retain their shape, 5 to 7 minutes (add a few tablespoons of water now and then if the pan gets too dark). Add the remaining minced garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the spices and flour and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the broth, honey, remaining lemon zest, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Add the chicken (with any accumulated juices) back in, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Add the dried apricots, cover, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the carrots are tender-crisp, about 10 minutes more.

5. Stir in the almonds, reserved lemon zest-garlic mixture, parsley, and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice; taste the sauce and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice, if desired. Serve with couscous.