Honeyed Chicken Tagine with Raisins & Apricots

A small note before the post — we’ve made the decision to slow our roll in the final stretch before Step 1.  Look for our posts on Sundays only for the next few weeks.

Ari and I regularly count our blessings regarding our decision to come to Case med.  Two of these blessings are our classmates (and friends) Myles and Sarah.  They also went to Case undergrad with us and have fed us amazing meals.  In addition, Myles has been giving us pointers on our food photography (for more of his work, check out Myles’ photography blog).  We are delighted to have them as our first guest authors!

Sarah and I are honored to be the first guest bloggers on Braised Anatomy!  During our last gourmet get-together, we made a Moroccan recipe from a cooking apparatus called a tagine (pronounced  Ta-jean).

Here’s the basics on a Tagine:  the word tagine has two meanings, first is for the actual cooking apparatus and second is for the traditional Morracan stews that are created within the tagine.  So yes, you can have a tagine from a tagine….so when I talk about tagine, I mean the cooking apparatus.

Moroccan food is famous for rich and succulent meats that literally fall off the bone, delicate yet complex sauces and stews, and unique combinations of spices and flavors that will almost always bring a smile to your face!  The tagine is crafted to meet all of these Moroccan cuisine trademarks.  The shape of the tagine is akin to putting a witches hat on the top of a fry pan (except that both the hat and the pan are traditionally made out of terra cotta, which is also used for roofing).  The tagine’s “hat” acts to condense and recirculate water vaporized from the stuff being cooking in the pan portion.  This keeps everything in the bottom extremely moist and succulent.  As you see in the photos, our tagine is has a metal bottom and terra cotta lid.

If you are like the 95% of the world without direct access to a tagine, I would recommend using a cast-iron dutch oven or a nice wide-based pot to make this recipe.

So onto the recipe: honeyed chicken with raisins and apricots!

I know, your taste buds are already craving for this mouthwatering culinary masterpiece!  The approximate cooking and prep time is about 1.5 to 2 hours, so plan accordingly.

The ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and pepper (lots to coat the chicken)
• 1 whole chicken or three or four boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3 small yellow onions, diced (the kind that come in the mesh bag)
• 2+ cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of chopped ginger or dried powdered ginger
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• ¾ cup chicken broth (water works well too)
• 1 cup dried apricots (fresh oranges work just as well)
• ½ cup raisins
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ¼ cup chopped almonds or pecans
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

So after you collect all of your ingredients, prep all of your portions before you start cooking, because things get a little complex in the middle and require rapid additions of spices with limited amounts of time.

The process:

First prep your meat.  If you are using a whole chicken, chop it up appropriately into smallish pieces.  If you are using breast meat only, I would recommend chopping it up into 2 inch squares.  Next organize all of your ingredients and get ready to cook!

Heat up 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the base of the tagine on medium high heat.  While this is heating, rub down your chicken with generous amounts of salt and pepper.  Add these spices with enough to evenly coat the outside of the chicken.  When the oil has heated, put the chicken into the base of the tagine.  You should hear it sizzling.  Brown the chicken for about five minutes per side.  You don’t have to cook the chicken through at this point, just enough to lock in juices and flavors.  When lightly browned, remove the chicken to another bowl and set aside.

Now add the onion, garlic, and ginger to the base of the tagine and sauté for a minute or two, just enough to brown the onions without burning the ginger (still at medium-high heat).  Next add honey, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and turmeric to the onion/garlic/ginger mix and stir for about 30 seconds.  Finally, add the chicken back to the base of the tagine with all spices and onion.  Add your chicken broth (or water) and cover with your tagine lid (witches hat).  Turn the heat to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes.  Relax!

After 30 minutes has elapsed, quickly add apricots (or oranges) and raisins to the base.  Don’t let too much of the moisture escape by keeping the lid off of the tagine for extended periods of time.  Simmer for another 30 minutes.

While this is simmering, brown your almonds or pecans and set aside.  Prep and chop your cilantro.

The time you have been waiting for has arrived!  The chicken should be done and ready to plate!  Using a nice broad spatula or large spoon, plate the chicken with a bit of the honeyed raisin/apricot sauce.  Add your browned almonds and a bit of cilantro to the top and watch your guests gawk over your creation!

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