I love the warming spices of a tagine, and this one with chicken breast and chickpeas is one of my favourites.
In this version, I've marinated the chicken in spices and then pan fried before adding to the sauce. Alternatively, you can add the dry spices into the sauce with the garlic, and then add the plain chicken 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time.
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
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic
3-4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of apricot harissa paste
1 teaspoon (or to taste) of smoked chilli harissa paste
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
400g tin of chickpeas
To garnish:
Flat leaf parsley
Toasted flaked almonds
- Cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized chunks (3-4cm) and mix with the dry spices, a little salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Cover the chicken and place in the fridge to marinate for 1 hour.
- Peel the onion and garlic.
- Cut the onion into quarters and and slice.
- Deseed the peppers and cut into 2cm dice.
- 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 onion and peppers and sauté until slightly golden and softened.
- Crush or finely grate the garlic and add it to the pan. Mix well and cook for a further 1-2 minutes, being careful not to let the garlic burn.
- Pour in the tomatoes and stock and stir in the apricots and drained chickpeas.
- Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat. Cover the casserole and simmer.
- After 20 minutes, heat a splash of olive oil in a frying or sauté pan. Once the oil is hot, quickly sauté the chicken until it's golden.
- Add the chicken to the sauce and stir well to combine. Cook for a further 5-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
- Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool for 5 minutes, so that the temperature of the dish doesn't overpower the flavours.
- Taste, adjust seasoning and serve garnished with chopped parsley and toasted flaked almonds.
