There are several popular dishes in Moroccan cuisine such as couscous, crispy pigeon pies and sweet date pastries, but the tagine dominates Moroccan food culture. The tagine is a eartenware pot, which slow cooks food over an open fire or bed of charcoal. Lamb and delicious chicken tagines are the most popular dishes to cook, but beef, goat and camel have been known to make their way into the tagine dishes, especially in recent times. The chicken tagine made with olives and preserved lemons is most often deemed the best-known Moroccan dish due to the presence of the Mediterranean flavors.
Making Delicious Chicken Tagine
When you go to make delicious chicken tagine, you will want avoid using chicken breast, as the breast can dry out the dish. You will want to use chicken on the bone, like chicken thighs, even though they take a bit longer. If you really want to create an ideal taste for your chicken tagine, you will want to buy a whole chicken and joint the chicken yourself.
When selecting vegetables for your tagine, you will want to consider onions first and foremost, as they are a staple in most tagine dishes. You can line the bottom of the tagine with the onions to prevent the chicken from sticking to the bottom. For a simple chicken tagine, such as the one made with olives and lemon, you will want to only select vegetables that compliment your dish. Tomatoes and potatoes won’t necessarily complement every single dish.
If you want to your chicken taste to really shine through, consider using just ginger and saffron, two spices that are prominent in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern culture. If you really want to go on the wild side, add a pinch of cinnamon to serve as an underlying sweetness to your delicious chicken tagine. Don’t forget to add liquid as well, which is a necessity to any tagine dish. If you want to maintain the flavor of the chicken, use a nice chicken stock.
Learn More on How to Make Delicious Chicken Tagine
For more tips on how to cook in your tagine, visit the Moroccan Furniture website or contact us. If you’re interested purchasing a tagine, visit our website, as we provide a variety of tagines in our online store with free shipping.
