Quick, simple, healthy and tasty – these are some of my favourite words when it comes to food and this deliciously easy Chicken, Apricot and Almond Tagine ticks all those boxes and more!
I am a big, big fan of tagines and you will find lots of tagines on Easy Peasy Foodie…there is something about that delicious combination of meltingly tender meat, aromatic spices, sweetness from the dried fruit and just a touch of heat from the chillies that gets me every time.
That and they are so easy peasy to make – just a few simple ingredients thrown into the pot, not too much chopping, and then let it all bubble away on the stove or in the oven until it’s ready. Definitely my kind of cooking!
You don’t need any fancy equipment either – yeah sure you can buy yourself a proper tagine with a conical lid – and I keep meaning to get one because it would sooo good in my photos. But you absolutely don’t need one…I usually use my cast iron pot (like a Le Creuset only cheaper – one of my favourite pieces of cooking equipment ever, I now have 3!!), but if you don’t have a cast iron pot, just a regular large-ish saucepan will be fine.
Not only is this delicious Chicken, Apricot and Almond Tagine really easy to make, but it is also really quick too – this recipe can be on the table in under 30 minutes…and yet with a judicious scattering of almonds and coriander, it looks (and tastes) like you’ve been slaving away in the kitchen for hours!! (Promise I won’t tell 😉 )
It would make a great dinner party dish served with a couple of other Middle Eastern inspired dishes…but it is quick and easy enough to do midweek too – just serve with couscous, flatbreads or rice…or why not try this tagine with my Coconut Cauliflower Rice for an ever lighter dish?
This recipe is another great one to make a double quantity of and save the rest for the next day, or stash in the freezer for a quick and easy ready meal sometime in the future. When you want to eat it, simply defrost in the fridge overnight then reheat in a saucepan, with a splash of water until piping hot.
To drink with this, I would go for either a zingy Sauvignon Blanc or a Grenache based rose from the South of France or Spain (where Grenache is called Garnacha). If it must be red, go for a Southern French red or a lighter style Rioja.
Chicken, Apricot and Almond Tagine
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion sliced
- 600 g chicken thigh fillets (no bone or skin), chopped into 2cm/1inch chunks
- 3 cloves garlic grated or crushed
- 3 cm ginger grated
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- ½ teaspoon chilli flakes (or to taste – add more if you like things hot!)
- 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
- 200 ml water (i.e. half the tomato can)
- 12 dried apricots
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons fresh coriander plus extra for garnish
- 2 tablespoons flaked almonds
- Couscous, bulgur wheat, rice or flatbreads to serve
Instructions
- Place the oil and onions in a deep, wide saucepan. Cover and place over a low heat. Cook gently for 3 minutes until softened but not brown, stirring occasionally.
- Turn the heat up and add the chicken. Fry over a high heat for 3 minutes until the chicken has browned a little.
- Turn the heat back down and add the garlic, spices and chilli flakes. Fry gently for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add a splash of water if it gets dry.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, water, salt and pepper, plus the dried apricots. Bring to the boil, then turn down and simmer with the lid off for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Finally, stir in the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of coriander.
- Serve scattered with the extra fresh coriander and flaked almonds.
- For extra flavour you can dry fry the flaked almonds in a small frying pan for a couple of minutes first.
Notes
Love chicken? Check out my collection of Easy Peasy Chicken Recipes…
Want more delicious and hassle-free midweek meals? Find more here…
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Jacqui Bellefontaine says
That looks good Eb. I do love a Tagine ever since i was lucky enough to go to Marrakesh a few years ago. Sadly the Tagine I bought back has broken. It got a lot of use for a while (and cost less than the ingredients for just one tagine)
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Jacqui – I would love a proper tagine one day…trouble is I am running out of cupboard space for all my pots and pans and gadgets #foodbloggerproblems!! But I keep thinking it would look soooo good in the photos! Eb x
Jenny Paulin says
I have to be honest Eb, I have never eaten a tagine before. This does look delicious though and easy to make (which is a big bonus!). xx
Eb Gargano says
Nooo! Never had a tagine? You are really missing out! They are soooo delicious AND easy!! Would highly recommend you have a go – this one would be a great one to start with 😀 Eb x
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins says
Oooh yummy! Another delicious tagine recipe Eb! This is a must try, hope you are having a good week x #CookBlogShare
Eb Gargano says
Thanks, Kirsty 🙂 Yes great week thank you – hope you are too! Eb x
Monika Dabrowski says
Another fabulous 30-minute meal! Have I mentioned how you excel at those:)? I absolutely love chicken with a bit of fruity sweetness and the apricots and almonds sound gorgeous in this recipe. And the spices are beautiful in it too:)
Eb Gargano says
Hahaha – yeah, might have ;-)! I do like a speedy meal that it still full of flavour – I just love how the flavours in a tagine all complement each other 🙂 Eb x
Corina says
I love tagines as well and often just throw all the ingredients in my slow cooker. I know that feeling of wanting a proper tagine as it would look great in pictures but I’ve no idea where I’d keep it! It really is a great #CookOnceEatTwice recipe so thanks for sharing x
Eb Gargano says
Haha – yeah that’s my problem too…I keep buying things for food styling and then realising there is no more room in my cupboards…my husband despairs of me…luckily he’s also a magician when it comes to managing to rearrange the cupboards to make space for my latest acquisition…honestly, he’s like Mary Poppins! It’s always him who has to pack up the car when we go on holiday…he can fit about twice as much in!! Eb x
Mandy says
This sounds amazing! I had one too many tagines a few years ago and haven’t made once since but I do actually own a proper tagine so I must make one soon! Would be a good one to try out on the kids too.
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Mandy – I can’t quite imagine getting to the stage where I had had too many tagines – I am obsessed by them. They are just the best flavours and so quick and simple to prepare – you know me, I love a recipe where the oven does all the work!!! Eb x
Teresa says
The taste of the Chicken, Apricot and Almond Tagine was just okay. The listed Prep Time of only 5 minutes was way, way off. It took more than 5 minutes to measure out the spices, let alone chop up all the other ingredients.
Eb Gargano says
I am sorry to hear that. I am afraid giving accurate prep times is almost impossible, given that it takes different people different amounts of time to prep. So I tend to give the amount of time it takes ME to prep and then this will at least give you a good guide… so then, if you know it usually takes you twice as long as me to prep, you can just double all my prep times. One thing that might speed up the prep for you is if you prep as you go along… so, in this recipe you could just prep the onion to start with, then while the onion is cooking, prep the chicken and so on. When measuring out spices, you can just measure them straight into the pan… as this should speed things up for you too. Hope that helps! Eb 🙂