Chicken Tagine with Prunes & Almonds | The Food of Morocco

I resolve to dig deeper into Moroccan cooking inspired by Dorie’s chicken and winter squash tagine. Dorie is a five-time James Beard Award winner. Most of her recipes I’ve cooked and posted have been exquisite. Meanwhile, Paula Wolfer’s The Food of Morocco is the definitive guide in revealing the richness and mystery in Moroccan cuisine. All research on Moroccan cooking points to Paula Wolfer.

Here I take another dive into the chicken tagine, this time with prunes and almonds. The dish is featured prominently in her book. Look no further, the tagine is on the back cover of The Food of Morocco. This is a beautiful chicken dish popular with the Tangier “literacy set.” In the Rif Mountains, people are individualist and do things their own way. This dish echos that spirit and it’s inviting all the same.

In the previous tagine post, we discuss the essential elements of Moroccan cooking. They are the Moroccan spices and the tagine (the two-part clay vessel with the conical top). It’s important to note that Paula Wolfer does not always insist on using a tagine. Although she believes the majority of Moroccan dishes are best cooked slowly in one.

The large base and conical lid of the tagine design is to condense steam back into moisture as it rises to the tall lid, enhancing the slow stewing effect while maximizing cooking efficiency. Clearly, the earthenware moisture recycling makes it possible to achieve the succulence and depth of flavor no other methods could.

The chicken tagine with prunes and almonds recipe does not require using a tagine. That’s the good news. Cooking instead in a deep casserole pot (or a Dutch oven), together with a parchment lid, perform equally well. In addition, the dish builds on a “bottom up” cooking method, starting on the stovetop and finishing in the oven or the broiler. By and large, this cooking method is timeless and comforting.

Besides the cookware and the methodology, Paula Wolfer points out that great national cuisines depend on four factors. They are the abundance of fine ingredients, variety and confluence of cultural influences, a great civilization and a refined palace life. Morocco has been blessed with all four.

In addition, Moroccans are keen on what they call baraka, meaning good fortune. In culinary terms, baraka can also refer to an ability to start with very little ingredients and yet the pot of food keeps growing and feeds many.

“The argan trees are everywhere, thousands of them, squat and thorny, anchored to the rocks that lie beneath in their dubious shade. They flourish where nothing else can live, not even weeds or cacti. Their scaly bark looks like crocodile hide and feels like iron. Where the argan grows, the goats have a good life. Their trunk is short and the branches begin to proliferate only a few feet from the ground. This suits the goats perfectly; they climb from branch to branch eating both the leaves and the greasy, bitter, olive-like fruit. Subsequently their excrement is collected, and the argan pits in it are pressed to make a thick cooking oil.” ~ Paul Bowles

Little ingredients. Are these the only spices needed for the tagine?

• Season the chicken pieces with salt, pepper and cumin (2 tsp).
• Simmer the prunes in boiling water infused with cinnamon (2-3 tsp).
• Steam the onions with turmeric (1 tsp), ginger (1 tsp), salt and pepper.

There are more teaspoonfuls of cumin and cinnamon than I normally use. In the end, I can’t taste the individual spices, just the balanced deep flavors melded together in one coherent tagine.

Enormous flavor with the bottom-up slow-cook method

Steamed onions and cinnamon infused prunes

• Sear the chicken pieces until browned.
• Transfer the chicken to the steamed onions. Yes, steam, not sauté. The onions turn golden and soft. In the end, it’s so soft that you hardly notice them. Moreover, it is the source for steam to moisten the chicken.
• Cook the tagine over the lowest possible heat for 1 1/4 hours, covered with crumbled parchment paper. Instead of cooking on the stovetop, I put the pot with a domed lid in a 325°F oven. (I prefer the constant temperature throughout in the oven and no need to watch the pot.)
• Add the cooked prunes to the tagine. Bring it to a boil and remove from heat.
• Sprinkle the blanched almond on top of the tagine.

The chicken tagine with prunes and almonds is masterful in its conception and firing in all the flavor cylinders. Everyone is licking their fingers and wants more. In short, it’s the most memorable cooking and eating experience I’ve had for quite a while. A superb dish that you don’t want to miss.

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Links:

The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

How to blanch almonds?

Single origin spices from Burlap & Barrel

Print Recipe

Chicken Tagine with Prunes & Almonds

By Paula Wolfert – Serves: 4

Chicken tagine with prunes and almonds delivers the depth of flavor while using just a few spices, but lot of them. It's memorable cooking and eating it and takes you all the way to Morocco.

Ingredients

• One 3-1/4-pound chicken, preferably organic and air-chilled
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin, preferably Moroccan, or more to taste
• 12 ounces moist prunes, pitted
• 2 to 3 teaspoons ground Ceylon cinnamon
• 2 large yellow onions, halved and sliced lengthwise
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cup blanched whole almonds
• Vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

1

Rinse the chicken and pat dry; trim away excess fat. Cut off the wings and legs, leaving the breast in one piece. rub all the pieces with salt, pepper, and the cumin. Let stand for 1 hour.

2

Meanwhile, cover the prunes with cold water in a small saucepan and add the cinnamon. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside.

3

Place the onions in a wide, shallow casserole, with the turmeric, ginger, salt and pepper to taste, and 1/4 cup water, cover, and steam for 15 minutes.

4

Meanwhile, brown the almonds in 4 or 5 tablespoons oil in a large skillet; remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Brown the chicken evenly on all sides in the same oil, then transfer to the steamed onions. Cover with a sheet of parchment paper and cook over the lowest possible heat for about 1-1/4 hours.

5

Discard the parchment paper. add the cooked prunes to the casserole and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat. Arrange the chicken breast in the center of a serving dish, place the legs and wings around, and cover all with the prunes and sauce. Sprinkle with the almonds and serve at once.