Chicken Tagine mchermel
This is a Moroccan classic recipe. I wanted to prepare this for quite some time. While checking out recipes in youtube and blogs by master chefs what I realized is that every recipe has certain variations while some of the ingredients remaining constant. So I hold onto those constant ingredients as a must and made other optional while combining few recipes together to generate my own taste. The outcome was splendid and I will definitely suggest this as a must-try for every chicken lover and taste explorer. It was full of flavor yet not loaded with calories.
Ingredients:
Skinless chicken pieces(medium-sized) -2 lb
Ras el Hanout Spice mix: 2 tbs from a mixture of the following (1 tsp salt+1tsp ground cumin+1tsp ground ginger+1 tsp turmeric+3/4th tsp ground cinnamon +1tsp ground black pepper +1 tsp ground white pepper+1 tsp coriander powder+1tsp red chilly powder(cayenne pepper)+1/2 tsp ground nutmeg+1/2 tsp ground clove). I have not used nutmeg, coriander, and ground clove in my mix. You can use the rest of the mixture later for daily cooking.
1/2 tsp of white pepper powder
1/2 tsp of black pepper powder
4 -6 large clove of Garlic finely crushed
1 tbsp of ginger paste in case you are not adding ginger powder in the Ras el Hanout spice mix.
3tsp of tomato paste/puree or 2 medium-sized tomatoes chopped.
2 medium-sized onion nicely chopped
sliced pulp from half lemon ( recipes suggests using pickled lemon)
8-10 green olives ( pitted)
handful strands of fresh coriander and other herbs like parsley nicely chopped
chopped carrot and celery(optional)
Olive oil -2tbs
saffron strands soaked in warm water- 8-10 strands in 200 ml water(optional)
Steps:
1. marinate the chicken pieces with 2 tbs of Ras el Hanout spice mix+ crushed garlic+ginger+white pepper+1/2 tbs of olive oil ( Best to marinate for 1+hours). I have used 1/2 tsp of Kashmiri red chilly powder for a nice color.
2. In a pan with a tight lid setting, warm the remaining olive oil in medium heat. Add the onion, sprinkle a little salt and saute. Gradually add the celery and carrot and cover and cook for 5 mins. Add the tomato paste. If using chopped tomato, add that after the chicken.
3. Add the marinated chicken pieces over the onion layer and cover and cook for 5-10 mins till it starts releasing water.
4. Add the saffron water or chicken stock or plain water (approx 200 ml), arrange the tomatoes on top of the chicken , chopped herbs, olives, black pepper, and tightly cover with a lid. Cook over a low-medium flame/heat for 45 mins-1 hr.
5. Open the lid after that time and check the salt and serve.
6. It is usually cooked in a special Moroccan tagine clay pot with a raised lid. However, I cooked in a normal heavy bottomed non stick pan with lid.
