I have been into Moroccan food lately and in particular tagines. A tagine is a clay pot that is really good at braising and any dish made in a tagine is also called a tagine. Moroccan tagines very commonly include dried fruits such as prunes, dates, apricots, raisins etc. which typically add a really nice sweetness to the dish. I had not even thought about using fresh fruit in a tagine and when I came across the idea for a Moroccan nectarine and plum chicken dish on Christie’s Corner I knew that I would have to try it. Given that summer is done and it’s fruits are quickly disappearing from the markets I had to act quickly and the dish made it to my meal plan right away. I was in luck as the farmers market was still full of both the fresh locally grown plums and nectarines. I pretty much just took my standard Moroccan tagine recipe and replaced most of the dried fruit with fresh cut pieces of the nectarines and the plums. I did however leave some raisins in the tagine as I was a bit worried that the fresh fruit would not bring as much sweetness to the dish as the dried. The fresh nectarines and plums worked really well in the chicken tagine! The fruit pretty much broke down and formed the base of a thick and tasty sauce. The sauce was a really nice blend of fruity sweet, spicy and salty with many layers of flavour and it went really well with the chicken. I served the chicken tagine on some cilantro whole wheat couscous.
Moroccan Nectarine and Plum Chicken Tagine
ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 4 chicken thighs (bone in and skin on)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 onions (sliced)
- 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon ginger (grated)
- 4 nectarines (stoned and sliced)
- 4 plums (stoned and chopped)
- 1/2 cup water (or chicken stock)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 pinch saffron
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 preserved lemon (pith removed, and peel rinsed and sliced)
- 1/4 cup kalamata olives (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon harissa
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 cup parsley (chopped)
- 1/4 cup cilantro (chopped)
directions
- Heat the oil in a large pan.
- Add the chicken, brown on all sides and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large pan.
- Add the onion, and saute for 3 minutes.
- Add the garlic and ginger and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
- Add the nectarines, plums, water, paprika, cayenne pepper, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, saffron, salt and pepper, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add the chicken, preserved lemon, olives, harissa and honey and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes.
- Remove from heat and mix in the parsley and cilantro.
This looks like a complex recipe, but worth it! The sweet flavors with the chicken sounds fantastic. I love Moroccan flavors and don't cook them enough at home, this recipe is a keeper!
Moroccan food is awesome… no wonder you're getting into it! Looks delicious!
Love the sweet & savory mix!
Kevin, so many great ingredients in this dish. They should blend well..thanks
oooooooo hello kevin !
this looks amazing 🙂
Wow looks good. I've never had moroccan food before. I like the fresh fruit with the chicken.
WOW! This is awesome with so many spices in it.
This dish looks fantastic… love the fruits you used!
This looks beautiful. Once again, beutiful post.
I haven't been successful in finding a tagine that I like, my search has become more urgent looking at this aromatic and flavorful recipe!!!!
Wow Kevin. This one looks so good!! Printing… Thanks!
ive never tried moroccan food before. you got me curious!
Wow i love sweet taste in chicken dishes and you seems to cook lots of delicous morocon dishes like this.
Kevin, it looks great and delish! I like your straightforward instructions and the herb combination sounds fabulous.
Moroccan food and tajines taste so good! Your dish must be very flavorful! A great sweet & savory combination…
Cheers,
Rosa
Moroccan flavors are absolutely some of my favorites. They are just so rich. Now I will have to run to the store to make this before the fresh fruit here goes out of season!
What a beautiful dish!
I love anything Moroccan. Thanks for another wonderful recipe.
This looks amazing! I love the combination of sweet fruits with savory dishes. Mmmm…..YUM!
Kevin, your photograph alone makes me want to try this great combination of flavors. Many thanks for posting this recipe.
Ilove tagines 🙂 I even got a specific tagine baking/serving dish !
Try it also with marinated lemon… It's to die for!
This sounds like such a good tagine! I want to try this.
You don't say when you add the chicken back in the pan to cook. Do you add it back in for the last 25 min.? Thanks.
I really like how you used fresh fruit; I have a favorite Mediterranean stew I make, but I've always used dried fruit. Next time I will try a mix!
I love love love tagines. They are some of the most flavorful stews I've ever eaten, and I love how they incorporate fruit. I've never seen a nectarine version–how original! thanks!
Absolutely nice and yummy dear Kevin love it! gloria
Love Moroccan food,a very appetizing dish with fruity and spicy flavors.
Anonymous: Thanks for catching that! Yes add the chicken to the pot for the last 25 minutes of cooking. I have updated the recipe.
Okay, my new friend, I just want to say YOU inspire me. I realize I started my blog to help my kids have easy access to recipes they would actually eat when they were growing up, but you make me remember why I started cooking in the first place. The world of blogging is a wonderous thing!!! Thank you for bringing me back!!!
Would one have to use a tagine to make this dish? I don't have one, but I do have a dutch oven. I'm not sure I'd make this enough to warrant buying a new pot, and I wouldn't know what else to make in it.
Michelle: Though using an actual tagine would be nice you could easily use a regular pot. The dutch oven should work well too.
I really want to try to make moroccan one of these days. This looks like a great recipe to try!
Amazing recipe- my boyfriend is half german- half french/moroccan (mothers side) and LOVED this. He said the taste was so close to his mother's plum sauce- he was shocked. I was pleasantly surprised as his mother has cooked as a profession for the past 20 years and his german side is a perfectionist and honest…Leave out the harissa if you want more sweet than spicy hot.
thanks for such a delicious recipe. great blend of spicy and sweet. I have cooked other tagine dishes for nearly 2 hours, and the chicken got tastier and tastier as it simmered longer. If I have the time, what are your thoughts on simmering this longer? thanks
Anonymous: Simmering it for longer will definitely bring out more flavour!
You mention the raisins in the intro but they are missing from the ingredients list. I also see almonds in the photos.