Chicken and Apricot Tagine

I have been cooking tagines of different variations for a few years now and each time yields a different result, but the version below has been our favourite to date. It's a rich, aromatic Middle Eastern flavour with a slight kick of heat, but mild enough for our nearly two-year-old, Bridget to enjoy too, so a great Baby Bites, family meal idea.

The great thing with a tagine is that you can adapt it according to what you have to hand, but I almost insist you include the dried apricots here, they absorb the moisture and puff up into such a delicious little morsel and with the drizzle of honey bring a lovely sweetness to the dish which helps to balance the flavours.

I serve with jewelled couscous (made with peppers, spring onions, pomegranate seeds and coriander) but you could serve with rice or with warm, fresh bread if you prefer.

Chicken and apricot tagine

Here's how:

• 1 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• Big piece ginger
• 8 chicken thighs
• 1 tbsp ras el hanout
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 1 tsp dried coriander
• 2 carrots
• 100g dried apricots
• 2 tomatoes
• 500ml chicken stock
• 1.5 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Garnish:
• Handful coriander leaves
• Handful flaked almonds

Firstly add the olive oil to a non-stick pan and place on a low heat. Pre-heat the oven to 180 and rearrange the shelves so your tagine fits in before the oven gets hot. If you don't own an actual tagine, use a casserole dish with a lid.

Now take the chicken thighs and scatter over half the ras el hanout on the skin side, then add to the pan, skin-side-down and sear for four or five minutes. Pop the rest of the ras el hanout over the other side of the thighs and when the skin side is nicely browned, turn over and cook for the same amount of time or until no pink exterior remains, remove from the pan and add to the tagine base.

Now peel and slice an onion and mince the garlic and add to the tagine. Peel the ginger and either slice or grate into the tagine.

Take two tomatoes and dice then peel the carrots and chop them into batons and add to the dish.

Now add the remaining spices and seasonings, the apricots, honey and chicken stock and give a good stir. Replace the lid and cook for 40 minutes.

In the meantime prepare your accompaniments ready to dish up. Serve with a flourish of fresh coriander leaves and once on the plate scatter with flaked almonds. Delicious!

Tip: if serving to toddlers or small children as I do, I go for a 'de-constructed' version when dishing up. I de-skin the chicken and cut into bite-sized chunks, not because my daughter is unable, but the tagine keeps the heat incredibly high and this is a good way of cooling the meat a little so she doesn't burn her little mouth.

More tagine recipes from me:

Quick & Chunky Cod Tagine

Chicken & Chickpea Tagine 

Chicken and Chickpea Tagine

This chicken tagine serves four and is essentially a pimped up chicken stew with an exotic North African makeover. The herbs and spices used make for a fragrant, almost aromatic dish and it tastes great served with rice, cous cous or fresh bread to soak up all of the juices. 

Here's how:

Handful of shallots

3 cloves garlic

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

8 Chicken thighs

Jar or tin of olives

Tin of chickpeas

2 lemons

Pinch of saffron threads

Handful of cherry tomatoes

1 pint Chicken stock

4 tbsp olive oil

1 cinnamon stick

1 bay leaf

2 tbsp honey

Bunch fresh parsley

Bunch fresh coriander

Coarse sea salt

Fresh ground black pepper 

Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the tagine and place on the hob on a low heat and turn the oven onto a moderate-hot heat (180-200⁰C).

Peel and crush the garlic and grate the ginger and add to the tagine with the cumin and coriander seeds and just soften then remove from the heat.

In a separate pan, add a smidge of olive oil and brown off the chicken thighs. Whilst chicken is browning add to the tagine the drained chickpeas, whole, peeled shallots, halved cherry tomatoes and whole olives.

Cut the lemons into quarters and add to the tagine.

Once chicken is browned, add to the tagine and pour over the stock, seasoning, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, honey and remaining olive oil.

Steep the saffron in a couple of tablespoons of hot water then also pour into the tagine.

Add some chopped parsley and coriander, but retain most for garnish and to stir through at the end. Give the tagine a good stir, add the lid and place into the oven for 45 minutes.

Check the tagine after about 30 minutes and stir through and add a little more stock if needed.

After 45 minutes, remove from the oven and check that the chicken is tender – it should be! If not, return to the oven for a further 15 minutes then check again and repeat as necessary – the chicken should easily fall off of the bone. 

Before dishing up stir through some chopped coriander and parsley and then garnish each plate with some whole leaves.