Moroccan Chicken Tagine Recipe

Originally published December 2013. Updated October 2018 by Analida

Moroccan Chicken Tagine is a classic North African dish, think stew. Tagine is also the name of the clay cooking vessel pictured below.  Make this recipe in a ceramic tagine or slow cooker, read on!

The cooking vessel is a shallow with a removable cone-shaped lid that allows the stew to vent. It is likely that ceramics were introduced to North Africa by the Romans, who had established a military presence as far back as 146 B.C.

Moroccan Chicken Tagine is a highly versatile dish.

The slow cooking process infuses the meat or vegetables with rich  incredible flavors that burst out as soon as you take a bite. According to my Moroccan friend, the spices vary from region to region, mostly due to local taste and customs.

My Moroccan friend also explained to me in detail how in some cases fruit can also be part of a tagine.

If you do not own a tagine dish, you can certainly make this in a deep skillet or a crock pot and then serve it in a bowl.

I am fortunate enough to have one of these beautiful cooking devices, courtesy of my mother in law. Mine came from Williams Sonoma, but other kitchen stores like Sur La Table and Amazon also carry it.

If you have a gas stove, you also need to be sure to use the tagine heat difuser and not set it directly on the flame.

A Moroccan Tagine is certainly a nice addition to any recipe collection.

It is exotic enough to bring an element of interest to your next family dinner or dinner party; and simple enough as to not intimidate the finicky guest.

So, next time you host a dinner party and your friends ask “What’s for dinner” You can confidently reply ” Moroccan Tagine, of course!”

One note on the photo above:  This picture was taken just before I added the thinly sliced potatoes to give you an idea on the color of the dish when fully cooked.  You can then just add the potatoes in layers all around the dish, replace the lid and cook until tender. (Did you really want to see a picture of a bunch of potatoes covering the colorful food?)

Here are some general tagine tips.

• If you buy a new tagine you need to cure it.  Soak the tagine in water for 24 hours. Remove it from the water, dry it off and then rub olive oil by hand on the inside of the dish and lid.  Place the tagine in a cold oven and set to 225 f for 2 hours and then turn off and let the oven cool completely.   The heat will vaporize the water and draw in the olive oil to season the clay vessel.
• Always wash your tagine by hand and do not soak in soapy water.
• When making chicken tagine I like to buy a whole roaster chicken and cut it into pieces with a large butcher knife.  This is very authentic. You can easily adapt the recipe to cook in a dutch oven or slow cooker too.  Just check when the chicken is fork tender and it is done.
• If you have a gas stove, you also need to be sure to use the tagine heat difuser and not set it directly on the flame.

Here are my step by step tips to make a great tagine for your family and friends.  We’ll start with breaking down the bird.
Step 1: Lay the chicken on it’s back (breast side up) and insert a boning knife into joint where the wing is attached. Pull gently and cut apart the joint. Repeat for the other wing.
Step 2: Pull the leg away from the breast and cut away the skin and find the leg joint.  Carefully cut downward into the leg joint to separate.  Do this for both legs.
Step 3: Flip the bird over with the breast side down. Take a strong pair of kitchen shears and cut along both sides of the back bone starting at the neck and working down to the tail.  Do this for each side of the backbone.
Step 4: Open up the cavity with the breast side down and carefully press down along the center of the breast bone to split the breast in 2.
Step 5: You are done cutting and you can remove any skin you don’t want in your dish. I usually remove all the breast skin for a tagine and leave skin on the legs and wings.  For a really low fat-dish remove all the skin and trim the fat. This is your preference.

Now that we have the chicken cut up we can start layering our tagine dish.
Step 1: If you have a gas stove be sure you place a metal heat diffuser on the stove then set your tagine base in this. I never put my base directly on the flame.
Step 2: Add the onions, carrots, tomato and garlic first.
Step 3: Place the chicken pieces over the vegetables, sprinkle with the spices, parsley and drizzle the olive oil.
Step 4: Pour in about 1 cup of water.
Step 5: Cover and cook for about 1 hour or until the chicken reaches and internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Step 6: While it is cooking, leave it covered but check the liquid level every 20 minutes and remove some with a ladle or baster if it starts to get close to overflowing.  The lid will be VERY hot so use oven mitts.
Step 7: When the chicken is done, drain the water off the potatoes and place them around in layers over the chicken. Cover and cook for another 20 minutes or unit the potatoes are fork tender.
Step 8: Add the peas when the potatoes are done and cook for another 5 minutes.

A tagine makes a beautiful addition to your kitchen for cooking and for a display piece too!
Here are some of my favorites:

If you love to try new ethnic foods here are some interesting dishes that are very easy. These are some of my most popular ethnic dishes, their history and ingredients to make at home.
Explore another tagine dish with exotic flavors in this Moroccan Saffron Chicken recipe.
Cuban Ropa Vieja: A true comfort food of slow cooked beef served over rice.
Recaito: This is the cilantro based ingredient used in many Latin soups, stews and black beans.
Sofrito: You need to have this base ingredient for Latin style beans and shredded chicken.
Latin Style Black Beans: If you have never tried these you are missing out and they are so easy!
If you are having a tagine dish you would typically serve Moroccan country bread or kobz maghribi to soak up all the delicious juice.

5 from 4 votes

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Moroccan Chicken Tagine

A Moroccan classic. The mixture of spices is rich, complex, and delightful. Serve with the traditional couscous for a fabulous meal with an ethnic flair.

Course Main dish

Cuisine Moroccan

Keyword authentic, chicken, crock pot, Morocco, slow cooker, stew, tagine

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time 2 hours

Servings: Change to adjust-> 8 servings

Calories 349 kcal

Author Analida

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup onion chopped
• 1 cup water
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 Roma tomato cored and diced
• 1/4 cup peas frozen
• 3 carrots sliced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp curry
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 Tbsp fresh parsley chopped
• 1 tsp Kosher salt (paleo diet: sea salt)
• 3 lbs chicken whole roaster cut into pieces
• 1 lb potatoes (paleo diet: sweet potatoes)

Instructions

1. Peel and slice potatoes 1/4" Place potatoes in water to avoid browning while you cook the chicken in tagine.
   

2. On the bottom of the tagine dish place the onions, carrots, tomatoes, and garlic. Place chicken pieces on top and season with the spices. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Pour over the olive oil. Add roughly 1 cup of water.

3. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 1 hour. Check for doneness. The chicken should be tender and have an internal temperature of 165 degrees. You may have to remove some liquid as you go with a baster or ladle if it starts to run over the sides of the tagine base.

4. Drain potatoes and add them to the top of the tagine forming a circle. Cover and continue to cook for another 20 minutes until the potatoes are soft. Add the peas and cook for an additional 5 minutes uncovered.
5. Serve with couscous* or rice.
6. I usually purchase the boxed couscous(gasp) from the ethnic section of my grocery store.
7. As a side note, this recipe can be easily adapted to be made in a crock pot. Cook until the chicken is fork tender.

Recipe Notes

• If you buy a new tagine you need to cure it.  Soak the tagine in water for 24 hours. Remove it from the water, dry it off and then rub olive oil by hand on the inside of the dish and lid.  Place the tagine in a cold oven and set to 225 f for 2 hours and then turn off and let the oven cool completely.   The heat will vaporize the water and draw in the olive oil to season the clay vessel.
• Always wash your tagine by hand and do not soak in soapy water.
• When making chicken tagine I like to buy a whole roaster chicken and cut it into pieces with a large butcher knife.  This is very authentic. You can easily adapt the recipe to cook in a dutch oven or slow cooker too.  Just check when the chicken is fork tender and it is done.
• If you have a gas stove, you also need to be sure to use the tagine heat difuser and not set it directly on the flame.

Nutrition Facts

Moroccan Chicken Tagine

Amount Per Serving

Calories 349 Calories from Fat 189

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 21g 32%

Saturated Fat 5g 25%

Cholesterol 81mg 27%

Sodium 504mg 21%

Potassium 707mg 20%

Total Carbohydrates 15g 5%

Dietary Fiber 3g 12%

Sugars 3g

Protein 23g 46%

Vitamin A 115.7%

Vitamin C 23.7%

Calcium 5.2%

Iron 21%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.