Recipe: Moroccan Chicken Tagine

Thanks to Le Creuset, Capital Cooking has a stunning Moroccan Tagine that is designed with a shallow enameled dish and conical lid which is ideal for the long, slow simmering of rich, flavorful recipes. The eye-catching, tight-fitting lid forms an excellent seal to keep moisture and heat inside. The conical shape also helps moisture circulate throughout the piece so there's no need to open, stir or turn the tagine, making for easy preparation. A tagine is a dish used in North African cooking and cuisines of Morocco. With the cover removed, the base can be taken to the table for serving.

Ingredients

Chicken Marinade
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1 1/4 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of good olive oil
4 chicken quarters

Combine all ingredients into a large bowl and toss until chicken is fully coated. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Remaining ingredients:

1 yellow onion (thinly sliced)

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

14 ounces of diced tomatoes

½ cup chicken stock

7 sprigs of cilantro

1 cinnamon stick

½ preserved lemon, sliced

Olive oil

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the tagine and add to quarters of the chicken at a time to brown. Start with skin side down and brown for 8-12 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Brown the remaining chicken in the same manner.

Add onion and garlic and cook uncovered, stirring frequently for 5-8 minutes. Add stock to deglaze the pan. Then add tomatoes, cinnamon stick, cilantro, preserved lemons and reserved chicken. Reduce heat to medium low. Cook until chicken is falling off of the bone, about 1 hour. Adjust seasonings to taste and sprinkle with fresh cilantro. Serve over couscous.Turmeric is from the ginger family and in its dried form is used as spice. Mildly aromatic with a pungent bittersweet flavor, it was called "Indian saffron" as its shares the deep yellow orange color of the saffron. This is what gives the chicken tagine such a beautiful color.