Chicken Tagine

SERVES 4 TO 6 • TO PREP 1 HOUR 25 MINUTES • STORE UP TO 3 DAYS • TO FINISH 40 MINUTES

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Time-consuming techniques and esoteric ingredients make cooking authentic Moroccan chicken a daunting proposition. But this flavorful, assertively spiced dish is essentially a chicken stew, one that gets better and more flavorful with an overnight rest in the refrigerator. We wanted to keep the essence of this appealing dish while simplifying the ingredient list. Traditional olives and lemon were essential; for bold lemon flavor, we simmered strips of zest in the stew and added some fresh juice just before serving. Garam masala and cayenne proved to be the only spices we needed to achieve traditional flavor while streamlining our ingredient list. Dried apricots and fresh cilantro—both classic Moroccan ingredients—rounded out our dish. Searing the thighs with the skin on helped jump-start their cooking and created a flavorful fond with which to build our sauce. We then removed the skin to prevent it from making the stew overly greasy. If the olives are particularly salty, give them a rinse. If you cannot find pitted olives and don’t want to pit them yourself, substitute pimento-stuffed green olives; be sure to rinse them very well under cold running water. Serve with couscous. See the sidebars that follow the recipe.

4

pounds bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed

Salt and pepper

1

tablespoon vegetable oil

2

onions, halved and sliced ¼ inch thick

2

(2-inch) strips lemon zest

4

garlic cloves, minced

2

teaspoons garam masala

¼

teaspoon cayenne pepper

2

cups chicken broth

3

carrots, peeled and sliced ½ inch thick

TO FINISH AND SERVE

1

cup large pitted brine-cured green olives, halved

½

cup dried apricots, chopped

2

tablespoons lemon juice

1

garlic clove, minced

2

tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

TO PREP

1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place half of chicken skin side down in pot and cook until well browned, about 5 minutes; transfer to plate. Repeat with remaining chicken; transfer to plate. Remove chicken skin.

2. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot. Add onions, lemon zest, and ½ teaspoon salt and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, garam masala, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth, scraping up any browned bits.

3. Nestle chicken into pot along with any accumulated juices and bring to simmer. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and gently simmer until chicken registers 175 degrees, 30 to 40 minutes. Off heat, stir in carrots and let tagine cool, uncovered, to room temperature, about 45 minutes.

TO STORE

4. Leave tagine in pot or transfer to storage container. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

TO FINISH AND SERVE

5. Skim excess fat from surface of tagine and transfer to Dutch oven, if necessary. Discard lemon zest. Stir in olives and apricots, bring to simmer over medium-low heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots are tender and chicken is heated through, about 15 minutes (do not overcook chicken). Off heat, stir in lemon juice and garlic and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.