Chicken tagine with mango and apricot

Name: Chicken tagine with mango and apricot
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 1 small chicken (around 1.4kg); 1 tsp salt; ¼ cup olive oil; 2 medium brown onions, finely sliced; 4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped; 1 tsp grated ginger; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp paprika; 1 cinnamon quill; ¼ cup mango chutney; 1/2 cup dried apricots; 2 tomatoes, roughly chopped; 1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into wedges; 1 1/2 cups chicken stock; 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley, to serve; 2 tbsp finely chopped coriander, to serve; couscous, to serve; 

Adam Liaw

May 17, 2016

easyTime:1-2 hoursServes:4

Love Middle Eastern flavours? I always think the best way to start exploring a new cuisine is just to make things you like to eat. A tagine that's a bit like Mum's apricot chicken is a perfect example. Authenticity is overrated. You don't even need a fancy clay pot to make this tagine. A good, deep frying pan with a lid will work just as well.

Ingredients

1 small chicken (around 1.4kg)
1 tsp salt
¼ cup olive oil
2 medium brown onions, finely sliced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 cinnamon quill
¼ cup mango chutney
1/2 cup dried apricots
2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into wedges
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley, to serve
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander, to serve
couscous, to serve

Method

1. Cut the chicken into 8 pieces on the bone and rub all over with the salt.
2. Heat the olive oil in a tagine or large, lidded frying pan over medium-high heat and fry the chicken until well browned. Remove from the pan.
3. Add the onions, garlic and ginger and fry until fragrant. Then add the cumin, paprika, cinnamon, mango chutney, apricots, tomatoes, sweet potato and chicken stock and bring to a simmer.
4. Return the chicken to the liquid, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Adjust for seasoning.
5. Allow to rest for 10 minutes, then scatter with the parsley and coriander and serve with couscous.
Adam's tip: Sweet mint tea is a perfect match for a meal like this. Just brew some strong green tea (like a Japanese Sencha) and add a good handful of mint leaves and a few spoons of white sugar.