Chicken Tagine with honey is comforting and fragrant with that little hint of sweetness. Lighten it up in Summer with a fresh salad of diced cucumber, tomato, red onion and fresh mint, coriander and/or parsley. I love them all!
A tagine is a conical earthenware pot and the dish prepared in the tagine pot shares the same name as its cooking vessel. So tagine is a dish and also a cooking pot.
The base of the tagine pot is wide and shallow and its lid has a conical shape and creates a seal on the base. It becomes a kind of clay oven that was traditionally placed on an open fire for cooking.
The idea is to cook on a slow, low heat, allowing the dish to absorb all the flavours and become fall apart tender. But these days, “We aint’ got no time for dat!”, but if you do, then take your time! A heavy based dutch oven does just a good a job me thinks!
This recipe is written for speed! Chicken thighs cook quickly but can be left for longer without spoiling them. The flavour is in the sauce so always taste for spice, salt and sweet before your serve!
My preferred way to cook anything slowly is in the oven so I don’t have to watch and stir and the risk of overcooking is low. When you use chicken pieces, on the bone, means you get all the flavour, nutrients and gelatinous goodness that is great for your gut health and immune system. Just like an exotic version of grandma's chunky chicken soup!
Read about how I choose which chicken cut here.
