I love the warming spices of a tagine, and this one with chicken breast and butternut squash is one of my favourites. The spices work really well with the sweet apricots and golden squash, which is sweeter than regular butternut squash (although that is a good alternative if golden squash isn't available).
I've used a combination of apricot and smoked chilli harissa pastes, but do adjust to suit your taste and desire for heat! It's perfect served with plain cous cous and tzatziki or in a bowl with flatbread or toasted pita to soak up all of those lovely juices.
600g chicken breasts
½ (approx 400g) golden butternut squash
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of apricot harissa paste
1 teaspoon (or to taste) of smoked chilli harissa paste
1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon of ground cinammon
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of ground turmeric
½ fine sea salt
250ml chicken stock
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
100g soft dried apricots
To garnish:
Flat leaf parsley
Toasted flaked almonds
- Cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized chunks (3-4cm) and mix with the harissa pastes and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Cover the chicken and place in the fridge to marinate for 1 hour.
- Peel the butternut squash and cut it into 1-2cm dice (if it's too large, the squash won't cook quickly enough).
- Peel the onion and garlic.
- Cut the onion into quarters and and slice.
- Dice the apricots.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a tagine, casserole or lidded sauté pan, over a low to medium heat.
- Once the oil is up to temperature, add the sliced onion and sauté until translucent.
- Add the chicken, increase the heat slightly and stir until the chicken pieces are sealed.
- Now add the butternut squash and stir until it's evenly distributed with the chicken pieces.
- Crush or finely grate the garlic and add it to the pan along with the spices and salt. Mix well and cook for a further 1-2 minutes, being careful not to let the ingredients burn.
- Pour in the stock and tomatoes and stir in the apricots.
- Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat. Cover the casserole and simmer for 10 minutes. Uncover and cook for a further 5-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked, the butternut squash is soft and the sauce has reduced.
- Leave to cool for 5 minutes so that the temperature of the dish doesn't overpower the flavours.
- Taste, adjust seasoning and serve.
