Gently spiced and full of flavour, this one-pot Moroccan inspired tagine is a real crowd pleaser and a dish to be enjoyed with a glass of Showerings. Striking a delicate balance between sweet and savoury, the tagine’s aromatic apricots and roasted hazelnuts perfectly complement the cider’s distinctive bittersweet tasting notes.
Ingredients: Serves 4
- 4 bone-in chicken legs
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tsp freshly ground cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- Olive oil
- Salt
- 2 large yellow onions, sliced 1/2cm thick
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- One 1cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely diced
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 bay leaf
- 100g dried apricots, halved
- 300ml chicken stock
- 2 lemons
- 100g roasted almonds, roughly chopped
- Parsley, to serve
- Pita, to serve (optional)
Instructions:
1. Marinate the chicken: in a large bowl, stir together the ground turmeric, cumin, cardamom, red pepper flakes, and 1 tsp salt. Add in 2 tbsp of olive oil and stir to make a paste. Place the chicken thighs in the bowl and use your hands to rub the spice mixture evenly over the chicken until evenly coated, then cover and place in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours or up to overnight.
2. When the chicken is done marinating, add 3 tbsp of olive oil to a large, heavy skillet with a lid over medium heat. Add the chicken legs, skin side down, and cook until nicely browned, avoiding turning them before they are golden. Use a pair of tongs to flip them over and repeat on the second side. Avoid crowding the pan: you may have to do this in batches depending on the size of your skillet. Once golden all over, transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. Add the sliced onions to the same skillet, season with salt, and stir to coat in the chicken fat. Cook for 5-6 minutes until softened and beginning to brown, then add the garlic and ginger and continue cooking for another 2 minutes.
3. If you have a tagine, transfer your onion, garlic, and ginger mixture to it. Otherwise, in the same skillet, ensure that the onion mixture is in an even layer along the bottom, then arrange all four chicken legs over top. Place the cinnamon sticks, bay leaf, and dried apricots around them in the pan and pour over the chicken stock and juice from one lemon. Bring to a simmer, then cover the tagine or skillet with the lid and cook over low heat for 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through, the onions are jammy, and the stock has thickened.
4. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary with more salt or lemon juice, then serve garnished with a handful of parsley leaves, roasted almonds, more lemon wedges, and flatbread.