Here’s our very own TEA recipe for a warming Spiced Chicken Tagine with dried fruits in a sweet tomatoey sauce. Well, possibly not a truly “authentic” tagine but delicious and nourishing none the less! Perfect served with rice, cauliflower rice or couscous as we head into the cooler months here in NZ. Plus, you’ll probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry and/or fridge…so can make this for dinner really soon. Enjoy!

Spiced Chicken Tagine – serves 4

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 500g boneless and skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2cm chunks
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 tin tomatoes, pureed
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1/4 cup prunes, halved
• 1/4 cup dried apricots, halved
• 10 olives, halved
• To serve – sliced almonds, chopped parsley, salt and pepper

Method

Heat the oil in a large frypan or wok over moderate heat. Season the chopped chicken with salt and pepper then cook in the frypan until golden brown on each side. Reduce the heat to low-medium and add the onion, stirring well to coat in the oil and chicken juices. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until the onion is translucent (but not browned or it becomes bitter).

Add the garlic and spices to the mixture, stirring well and cook for a minute or so until the spices and garlic become fragrant.

Add in the chopped tomatoes and stir well to lift any browned, chickeny goodness off the bottom of the pan. Fill a third of the empty tinned tomato can with water and swirl around to get the tomato residue off and add to the pan.

Now pop in the honey, dried fruits and olives, and simmer away gently for 10-15 minutes to thicken up the sauce and bring out all the flavours of the tagine. If you like, you could add in some veggies to the tagine now…diced pumpkin, frozen peas or broccoli all work well. Season well with salt and pepper as needed.

Serve on top of rice, cauliflower rice or couscous, and top with sliced almonds and chopped parsley. A side of veggies will balance the meal out – fresh, green veggies will work in perfectly.

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