{the dish} Moroccan Tangine Chicken

This dish was inspired from Russel, a dear friend of my husbands who is a fabulous cook. I know this because of the way he talks when he is describing food + I have heard he cooks his family all their meals and makes things using a Tagine! I mean who isn't a good cook if they are using a Tagine? Russel introduced the Tagine to me, and I am so grateful because I am in love with it. I have re-created a few Moroccan recipes for chicken and come up with my own that is pure perfection! I do hope you will consider buying a Tagine, it may just change the way you cook forever.


Moroccan Tagine Chicken
by amy twomey

ingredients
3 cloves of garlic, minced
olive oil for browning chicken
2 packages of chicken breasts, cubed in large pieces
pinch of black pepper
pinch of ground ginger
pinch of saffron, in 5 T. of boiling hot water and let sit for 10 min, stir well
1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. turmeric
1 t. fennel seeds
pinches of ground cinnamon
1/2 t. Harissa spice
1/2 t. Ras el Hanout spice
2 onions, finely chopped in Cuisinart
2 c. chicken broth
2 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 carrots, peeled and cut into small round pieces
1 c. green olives
2 lemons, cut into slices
salt to taste


Put your pinch of saffron in a bowl with water and let sit, set aside. Mix the garlic, black pepper, and a big splash of oil in a zip lock bag with the cubed chicken and pound it on both sides with the meat pounder to tenderise it. Heat more oil in a Tagine. Fry the chicken until browned, on medium - high heat. Add all of the spices into the saffron you set aside earlier and stir well. Add blended onions and an entire lemon, cut in half and potatoes and carrots. Stir over high heat for a few minutes.


Add chicken broth to Tagine. Bring to broil. Reduce heat to between medium and low and cover. Cook on medium heat for thirty + minutes. Squeeze in 1/4 of lemon juice from a lemon into pot and stir. Add olives at the very end and stir in well. Add salt to taste.

*Serve chicken over white rice and with a good red wine. Very, very good.