Moroccan Chicken Tagine

After being away for the weekend, I was really craving some home cooked comfort food.. this Moroccan Chicken Tagine really hit the spot and would go amazingly in a slow cooker. I was inspired by Chelsea Winter's recipe, she has a great bunch of food inspo!

Looking for a meat free dish? Throw in a can or 2 of chickpeas into the sauce (and skip the chicken part!) you can always add more vege to this as well.. always!

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Serves 4-5

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour (i recommend using a slow cooker)

Ingredients

Olive oil, for cooking

500g - 700g organic chicken thighs or drumsticks

6 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated or chopped

2 tsp of each: ground coriander, cumin and turmeric

½ tsp each mixed spice and ground black pepper

½ tsp chilli flakes (optional)

1 cup chicken or vege stock (home made is best, or store bought or a cube)

1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes

¾ cup chopped dried apricots or dates

3 carrots diced

A handful of spinach or kale (stalks removed and chopped)

¼ cup tomato paste

1 lemon: zested plus 2 tsp juice

1 orange: zested plus 2 tsp juice

½ cup chopped fresh herbs (e.g. parsley or coriander) plus extra for serving

Quinoa or rice, to serve

Almonds chopped, to serve

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 170c bake - or warm your slow cooker..

1.  Heat a splash of olive oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. When it’s very hot, add the chicken a few at a time and fry until browned both sides (this add great flavour). Transfer to a casserole dish (or slow cooker).
2. Using the same pan, lower to a medium heat.  Add the onions, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the spices and chilli and cook for another few minutes (add a little more olive oil if it looks dry). Add the stock, tomatoes, dried fruit, carrots, greens, tomato paste, zest and juice. Stir, turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat.
3. Carefully add the sauce to the dish (or slow cooker) with the chicken.
4. Cover with a lid and bake in the oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Or if using a slow cooker: cook for 4-5 hours on low or 2-3 on high – or just until you think it’s ready.
5. Cook quinoa or rice and serve with spoonfuls of the saucy goodness.
6. Garnish with herbs, chopped almonds and a squeeze of lemon if you like.

Looking for a meat free dish? Throw in a can or 2 of chickpeas into the sauce (and skip the chicken part!) you can always add more vege to this as well.. always!