Chicken Tagine With Potatoes and Peas (Morocco -- North Africa)

Sydney Mike's Note:

This recipe comes from the 2002 cookbook, Mediterranean Street Food. This original of this recipe called for a whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces, but I've used 6 chicken breasts, bone in.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 10 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 55 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 6 chicken breasts
• 2 medium onions , thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves , minced
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 saffron threads
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon salt , to taste
• 1 cup flat leaf parsley , finely chopped
• 1 cup cilantro , finely chopped
• 4 cups potatoes , diced bite-size
• 2 cups green peas

Directions:

1. In a large flameproof casserole, combine chicken, onions, garlic, oil, saffron, cumin, ginger pepper, paprika & salt, then cover with water, about 2 cups. Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil & cook, covered, for 30 minutes.
2. Add parsley, cilantro & potatoes, then cook, covered, another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are nearly done.
3. Add peas, lower the heat & simmer for 5 minutes more.
4. If sauce is still runny, uncover the pan & boil hard until thickened, then taste & adjust seasoning, if necessary, before transferring to a preheated serving dish ~ Serve very hot with a good bread!

Reviews

[awalde]

This was really delicious!
This is phantastic dish that can be prepared in advance. The quantity of spices depends on your taste and on the quality of them! I think you can't really do something wrong with this recipe.
I prepared at the same time some fresh bread and we enjoyed both together.
Thanks a lor for posting this recipe.

[L'ecole]

I made this dish with chicken legs and thighs since they are the DH's faves. It was tasty, but as another reviewer suggested, seemed to be lacking something. I thought it was perhaps because, not having a wide enough pot.casserole, I'd had to use quite a bit of water to cover the chicken, onions and spices, and maybe I didn't boil it down quite enough at the end. I might also try adding a little more of the spices next time as well (+ maybe a touch of cayenne?); no way can I find Harassa paste in *my* neighborhood! But it's definitely a recipe worth playing with!

[Nasseh]

DH really enjoyed this tagine. He said that it reminded him of home. Made for NA*ME Tag