Lemon Chicken Tagine
This classic tagine is great as a dinner party centre piece served with crusty bread or cous cous.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2½ hours
Total Time: 3 hours
Serves: 6
INGREDIENTS - Ingredients in bold are available in store!
6 skinless chicken thighs or 6 chicken breasts chopped into large pieces
5 garlic cloves, finely sliced or minced
2 onions, chopped
3 tbsps of tomato pureé
1 can of tomatoes, chopped
200g of Navaricco chickpeas
Small piece of ginger root, finely chopped or minced
150g of dried apricots
3 tbsp of honey
1 pint of chicken stock
¼ tsp of Saffron
4 tsps Al Fez Ras El Hanout spice mix
1 Al Fez preserved lemon
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil
Chopped coriander to garnish
PREPARATION
This dish is best prepared in a traditional tagine, but if you don't have one you can use a large pan with a lid. To start, gently fry the onions and garlic in the olive oil in the bottom of the tagine (or pan) until slightly browned, add the chicken and seal on all sides. Once the chicken is well sealed, add the ginger, Ras El hanout, tomato pureé and saffron and mix well. Add ½ a pint of chicken stock, chopped tomatoes, apricots and chickpeas and the apricots to the tagine/pan, mix well, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover the tagine/pan and cook on a low heat for 2 hours. If the sauce seems a little dry then add a little more stock during cooking. While the tagine is cooking, rinse the preserved lemon well and then remove and discard half the flesh. Cut the remaining flesh and peel into fine slices. After the first 2 hours of cooking time remove the lid and add the sliced lemon to the tagine. Cook for a further 30-40 minutes, or until the sauce is thick and well flavoured and the chicken is moist and falling apart. Serve with a garnish of chopped coriander. WINE PAIRING
We think this recipe calls for a full-flavoured and full-bodied white wine. A white Rioja, such as our Vallemayor Rioja Blanco (£9.95), would be a good pairing. The lemon and spices also work well with Viognier. We recommend our Milton Riverpoint Viognier (£19.50). This New Zealand Viognier has a lovely minerally edge and a rich texture with flavours of poached pear and croissant.
Cook Time: 2½ hours
Total Time: 3 hours
Serves: 6
INGREDIENTS - Ingredients in bold are available in store!
6 skinless chicken thighs or 6 chicken breasts chopped into large pieces
5 garlic cloves, finely sliced or minced
2 onions, chopped
3 tbsps of tomato pureé
1 can of tomatoes, chopped
200g of Navaricco chickpeas
Small piece of ginger root, finely chopped or minced
150g of dried apricots
3 tbsp of honey
1 pint of chicken stock
¼ tsp of Saffron
4 tsps Al Fez Ras El Hanout spice mix
1 Al Fez preserved lemon
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil
Chopped coriander to garnish
PREPARATION
This dish is best prepared in a traditional tagine, but if you don't have one you can use a large pan with a lid. To start, gently fry the onions and garlic in the olive oil in the bottom of the tagine (or pan) until slightly browned, add the chicken and seal on all sides. Once the chicken is well sealed, add the ginger, Ras El hanout, tomato pureé and saffron and mix well. Add ½ a pint of chicken stock, chopped tomatoes, apricots and chickpeas and the apricots to the tagine/pan, mix well, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover the tagine/pan and cook on a low heat for 2 hours. If the sauce seems a little dry then add a little more stock during cooking. While the tagine is cooking, rinse the preserved lemon well and then remove and discard half the flesh. Cut the remaining flesh and peel into fine slices. After the first 2 hours of cooking time remove the lid and add the sliced lemon to the tagine. Cook for a further 30-40 minutes, or until the sauce is thick and well flavoured and the chicken is moist and falling apart. Serve with a garnish of chopped coriander. WINE PAIRING
We think this recipe calls for a full-flavoured and full-bodied white wine. A white Rioja, such as our Vallemayor Rioja Blanco (£9.95), would be a good pairing. The lemon and spices also work well with Viognier. We recommend our Milton Riverpoint Viognier (£19.50). This New Zealand Viognier has a lovely minerally edge and a rich texture with flavours of poached pear and croissant.