Description
A flavorful and aromatic chicken tagine featuring tender chicken thighs simmered with a blend of warm spices, sweet dried apricots, and chickpeas. This dish is complemented by spiced, pan-fried shredded Brussels sprouts and finished with creamy feta and fresh coriander for a vibrant and hearty meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Tagine
- 1 ½ tbsp coconut oil
- 1 large red onion, sliced
- 1 red pepper, finely sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 10 chicken thigh fillets (boneless and skinless)
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 250ml chicken stock
- 6 dried apricots, cut in half
- 175g canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Spiced Brussels Sprouts
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 275g Brussels sprouts, shredded
- ½ tbsp coconut oil (remaining from total 1 ½ tbsp)
To Finish
- 50g feta
- ½ small bunch coriander, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Sauté Aromatics: Heat 1 tbsp of coconut oil in a large flameproof casserole dish over medium heat. Once hot, add the sliced red onion, red pepper, and chopped garlic. Cook while stirring regularly for 3-4 minutes until the vegetables start to soften.
- Brown the Chicken: Raise the heat to maximum and add the chicken thigh fillets to the dish. Fry everything together for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally until the chicken is sealed and slightly browned.
- Add Spices and Tomato Purée: Sprinkle in ground cinnamon, turmeric, and smoked paprika. Squeeze in the tomato purée and fry, stirring almost constantly, for 1 minute to develop the flavors.
- Simmer the Tagine: Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and partially cover the dish with a lid. Let it cook gently for 30 minutes to tenderize the chicken and meld the flavors.
- Add Apricots and Chickpeas: Stir in the halved dried apricots and drained chickpeas. Continue to simmer the tagine uncovered for an additional 10 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken slightly and fruits to soften.
- Prepare Spiced Brussels Sprouts: While the tagine simmers, heat the remaining ½ tbsp coconut oil in a frying pan over high heat. Add cumin seeds and toast for 10 seconds until fragrant.
- Fry Brussels Sprouts: Add shredded Brussels sprouts to the pan. Fry over high heat, stirring almost constantly for 5 minutes until softened and browned in spots.
- Serve: Spoon the chicken tagine into a large bowl. Scatter the fried spiced Brussels sprouts over the top, crumble over the feta, and finish with the roughly chopped coriander for freshness.
Notes
- You can substitute chicken thigh fillets with bone-in thighs for more flavor, but adjust cooking time accordingly.
- Use fresh apricots if available, or substitute with raisins for a slightly different sweetness.
- Shredding Brussels sprouts helps them cook faster and develop more crispy edges in the pan.
- This dish pairs well with couscous or crusty bread to soak up the sauce.
- To make vegetarian, replace chicken with firm tofu or chickpeas and use vegetable stock.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Moroccan
Keywords: chicken tagine, Moroccan chicken, spiced Brussels sprouts, tagine recipe, coconut oil chicken, feta, apricots, chickpeas
