Moroccan chicken tagine with onions and raisins

31/05/20234passionfood

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Serves: 6

This savoury – sweet chicken tagine with onions and raisins is a classic of Moroccan cuisine. It’s really delicious, easy to make and doesn’t require a lot of ingredients.

Chicken tagine with onions and raisins – 4PassionFood.com

The tagine is a staple of Moroccan cuisine. Its name actually designates both the cooked dish and the earthenware pot in which the food is cooked.

The secret to get a delicious tagine it’s not only the choice of the ingredients but above all it’s the cooking time. So please forget all recipes that offer quick and express tagines. This kind of dishes should be cooked for a long time and simmer gently until the veggies are very tenders and the meat falls apart. Try to plan this Moroccan chicken tagine with onions and raisins for the weekends and know that once the cooking has started, you have nothing else to do.

Here you will find other sweet and savory tagine recipes: “Sweet – savory Moroccan chicken tagine with caramelized apricots, almonds & orange blossom” as well as this seasonal tagine that I particularly like “lamb tagine with caramelized quinces”.

If you can’t find a traditional Moroccan tagine, opt for the “Émile Henry tagine” or simply use a cast iron casserole.

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Moroccan chicken with onions and raisins tagine

  • Prep time: 20 minutes
  • Cook time: 2 hours 30 minutes
  • Total time: 2 hours 50 minutes
  • Serves: 6

Ingredients :

For the chicken marinade :

  • 6 chicken thighs , You can use the lamb instead of the chicken
  • 1 clove garlic , grated
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp ground white pepper , or black
  • 1 tsp ginger, powder
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric , powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt

For the tagine :

  • 1 medium onion , finely chopped
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1/8 tsp saffron threads
  • 150 ml hot water
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1/2 tsp ginger , powder
  • 1/4 Tsp turmeric , powder
  • Salt and ground pepper (black or white), for seasoning
  • 1 small bunch of coriander and parsley , (optional )
  • 1 tsp Smen (Moroccan slated fermented butter), (optional )

For the onions :

  • 2 large onions , (white or brown onion)
  • 1/2 tsp ginger , powder
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric , powder
  • salt and ground pepper (white or black), to season the onions
  • 1 tsp cinnamon , powder
  • 2 Tbsp honey acacia , or sugar (brown or white caster sugar)
  • 50 g raisins previously washed, (you can use more or less depending on your taste)
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil

Method :

  • 1)

    First thing to do is marinate the chicken.

    In a bowl which has a lid or a freezer bag, put the chicken thighs, grated garlic, olive oil and spices. Massage so the chicken thighs are covered with the marinade and can absorb all the spices.

    Refrigerate for 2 hours, ideally overnight.

  • 2)

    Cooking the tagine requires a few steps to follow if you want to obtain a succulent tagine with a very delicious sauce. Take into consideration that a good tagine must take its time to cook.

    First remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let come to room temperature for about 30 minutes.

    Then in a glass put the hot water and infuse the saffron. Set aside time to prepare the rest of the ingredients.

    Over low heat, sauté the finely chopped onion in olive oil with the spices (turmeric, ginger, salt and pepper).

    Cover the tagine and cook the onion for 10 – 15 minutes.

    Once the onions have softened without taking on colour, add the chicken thighs sear them few minutes on each side, so that they take nice colour on both sides.

    Then add the saffron water, the Smen, the cinnamon stick and the herbs. Cover the tagine and cook for 30 minutes over very low heat.

     

     

  • 3)

    Meanwhile, prepare the onions. Wash, peel and finely slice them. Then season with salt, pepper, turmeric and ginger.

    After the 30 minutes, place the sliced ​​onions on the chicken then place the raisins on top of the onions. Try to give a conical shape to the onions because with cooking it will fall.

    Drizzle the onions and raisins with the chicken cooking sauce. Cover and cook for 45 minutes, basting regularly (at least 3 times) the onions and raisins with the cooking sauce.

  • 4)

    After 45 minutes, check the cooking of the onions, they must be tender. At this time sprinkle with cinnamon powder and sugar, if using, otherwise drizzle the honey.

    Cover and continue cooking for about twenty minutes.

     

  • 5)

    After 20 minutes you will find that the tagine still contains cooking water (because of the onions).

    Place a wooden spoon as you can see in the picture, then replace the lid and continue cooking for 20 to 25 minutes, the water will evaporate and you will obtain a thicker sauce. At this stage you have to watch the tagine closely, the cooking water may evaporate quickly and you risk to loose all the sauce, and do not try to increase the heat, the sauce may burn because it contains honey.

    At the end of cooking drizzle with olive oil (1 Tbsp (tablespoon)).

     

  • 6)

    Serve hot with bread and some Moroccan salads.

    Enjoy !!

Nutrition

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2 Comments

  • Jane

    23/08/2023 at 06:26

    At the end you suggest ‘drizzle with olive oil (1Tbsp (teaspoon))… do you mean 1 tablespoon or 1 teaspoon or doesn’t it matter which?

    The recipe sounds great!

    Reply

    1. 4passionfood

      25/08/2023 at 19:28

      Hi, it’s one tablespoon.
      Thank you, let me know if you make and how you found it.

      Reply

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