Easy Moroccan Tajine with Chicken & Apricots

This is the chicken tajine to make when you want something that tastes slow-cooked but can be on the table in about an hour and a half. Bone-in chicken thighs simmer with onion, ginger, cinnamon and saffron until the meat comes away from the bone, and dried apricots go in near the end so they turn soft and jammy without falling apart. A few slices of preserved lemon keep the sweetness in check, and toasted almonds add crunch.

Tagines that pair meat with dried fruit are a long-standing part of Moroccan home cooking. This version is written for an ordinary kitchen: one heavy pot, supermarket ingredients, and clear signs for when each stage is done.

Serves 4. Prep takes about 20 minutes, plus 30 minutes of marinating if you have the time, and cooking takes about 1 hour 15 minutes.

Ingredients

For the chicken and marinade

• 1.2 kg (about 2 ½ lb) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 8)
• 1 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• A large pinch of saffron threads (about 15 threads), crumbled into 2 tbsp (30 ml) warm water
• 3 garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
• 1 large onion (about 225 g / 8 oz), coarsely grated

For the pot

• 1 tbsp (15 g) butter, or another 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
• 1 large onion (about 225 g / 8 oz), thinly sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 small bunch each of cilantro and flat-leaf parsley (about 15 g / ½ oz each), tied together with kitchen string
• 300 ml (1 ¼ cups) water or low-sodium chicken stock
• ¼ preserved lemon, rind only, rinsed and thinly sliced (optional)

For the apricots and garnish

• 150 g (1 cup) dried apricots
• 1 tbsp (20 g) honey
• 40 g (⅓ cup) whole blanched almonds, toasted
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro or parsley

A few notes on the ingredients

Thighs, not breasts. Bone-in thighs stay juicy through 50 minutes of simmering, and the bones and skin give the sauce body. Drumsticks or whole legs work the same way.

Dried apricots. Bright orange Turkish apricots are plump and mild and hold their shape. Tarter ones may need a little more honey; brown unsulphured apricots taste almost like toffee and work well too. If yours are hard, soak them in hot water for 10 minutes.

Grated onion. Grated onion melts into the sauce and thickens it naturally, which is why there’s no flour here. The sliced onion stays in soft strands for texture.

Saffron. Turmeric gives the colour; saffron adds a floral aroma that’s hard to replace. It’s optional. Buy threads, since cheap ground “saffron” is often adulterated.

Ras el hanout as a shortcut. Ras el hanout (roughly “head of the shop”) is a Moroccan blend that varies a lot: some are peppery, some floral with rosebuds and cardamom, some contain chilli. Swap the ginger, cinnamon and cumin for 2 tsp ras el hanout and keep the turmeric. Taste your blend first, because a strong one can take over.

Preserved lemon. Lemons cured in salt and their own juice for weeks. Scrape away the pulp, rinse the rind and slice it thinly. Its salty, sour edge cuts through the fruit. Without it, stir 1 tsp grated lemon zest and a squeeze of juice into the sauce at the end.

How to make it

1. Marinate. In a large bowl, mix the salt, pepper, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, garlic, saffron with its soaking water, olive oil and grated onion. Add the chicken and rub the mixture all over and under the skin. Leave for 30 minutes at room temperature, or cover and refrigerate for up to 12 hours.
2. Brown the skin. Melt the butter in a heavy 4–5 litre (4–5 quart) Dutch oven over medium heat. Scrape most of the marinade off the chicken back into the bowl and save it. Lay the thighs in the pot skin-side down and cook for 5–6 minutes, without moving them, until the skin is golden and some fat has rendered. Work in batches if needed, then transfer to a plate. Keep the heat at medium, or the spices will scorch.
3. Cook the onions. Add the sliced onion and a pinch of salt to the fat in the pot. Cook, stirring, for 6–8 minutes until soft and pale gold. Add the saved marinade and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring, until the grated onion no longer looks wet and the spices smell toasty.
4. Add the liquid. Pour in the water or stock, scraping the bottom. Add the cinnamon stick and the herb bundle. Put the chicken back skin-side up, with any juices from the plate. The liquid should come about halfway up the chicken, not cover it.
5. Simmer. Bring to a simmer, cover, and turn the heat down until the liquid is barely bubbling. Cook for 35 minutes.
6. Add the fruit. Tuck the apricots and preserved lemon around the chicken and drizzle the honey over them. Cover and cook for another 15 minutes. It’s ready when the meat pulls easily from the bone. It’s safe at 74°C (165°F), but thighs are more tender at 80–85°C (175–185°F).
7. Reduce the sauce. Lift out the chicken, herb bundle and cinnamon stick. Boil the sauce uncovered for 5–8 minutes, stirring now and then, until it coats the back of a spoon and the oil glistens on top. Taste it, then adjust with salt, a little more honey or a squeeze of lemon.
8. Finish. Spoon the sauce and apricots over the chicken and scatter with almonds, sesame seeds and chopped herbs. Let it sit for 5 minutes before serving.

To toast the almonds, shake them in a dry frying pan over medium-low heat for 4–5 minutes until golden in spots, watching closely. Frying them in a teaspoon of oil is the more traditional way.

Using a clay tagine

The cone-shaped lid of a clay tagine catches steam and lets it run back into the dish, so very little evaporates. Use about 200 ml (¾ cup) liquid instead of 300 ml.

• Use a heat diffuser on gas or electric, never high heat, and don’t pour cold liquid into a hot base, or it can crack. Most clay tagines don’t work on induction.
• Skip browning the chicken. Soften the onions gently in the oil, arrange the marinated chicken on top, add the liquid and cover.
• Allow 10–15 minutes longer, and leave the lid off for the last 10 minutes to thicken the sauce, since you can’t boil it hard in clay.
• Season an unglazed tagine before first use, following the maker’s instructions.

Without a tagine: Dutch oven, skillet or oven

A heavy pot with a tight lid works very well. Enamelled cast iron is ideal because it holds steady, low heat; a 26–28 cm (10–11 in) pot fits the chicken in one layer. A deep lidded sauté pan works too, but check the liquid halfway, since lighter pans lose more steam.

Or use the oven: after step 4, bake covered at 170°C (340°F, gas mark 3) for 40 minutes, add the fruit for 15 minutes, then reduce the sauce on the stove.

Common mistakes

• Boiling instead of simmering. A hard boil makes the meat stringy and can split the sauce. Aim for a lazy bubble.
• Drowning the chicken. Too much liquid gives you soup. Keep it about halfway up the meat.
• Adding the apricots at the start. After an hour they collapse and turn the whole sauce flatly sweet. Fifteen minutes is enough.
• Salting fully at the start. Preserved lemon and reduction both add saltiness, so adjust at the end.
• Skipping the reduction. This is the step that turns a thin broth into a glossy sauce.

Make ahead, storage and reheating

This tastes even better the next day. Marinate the chicken the night before, or cook the whole tagine a day ahead, refrigerating it within 2 hours of cooking.

• Fridge: up to 3 days in a covered container. Keep the almonds in a separate jar so they stay crisp.
• Freezer: up to 3 months. The apricots soften a little more but are still good. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
• Reheating: warm gently, covered, over low heat with 2–3 tbsp water until the sauce bubbles and the chicken is hot all the way through (74°C / 165°F). In a microwave, cover the dish and stir halfway through.

What to serve with it

In Morocco, a tagine goes in the middle of the table and everyone eats from it with khobz, a round, slightly dense bread often made with some semolina, tearing off pieces to scoop up meat and sauce. Any sturdy country loaf or flatbread works.

Couscous is a good match too, though in Morocco it’s usually a dish of its own, traditionally served on Fridays. For four people, pour 240 ml (1 cup) boiling salted water over 180 g (1 cup) couscous with 1 tbsp butter, cover for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.

Something fresh on the side balances the sweetness: a tomato and cucumber salad, grated carrot with orange juice and cinnamon, or our Mediterranean chickpea salad, which takes about 15 minutes while the tagine simmers.

For a full Moroccan meal, start with a bowl of harira or a plate of zaalouk with bread.

Substitutions and variations

• Chicken breast: cook the sauce (steps 3–4) for 20 minutes without the chicken, then add 700 g (1 ½ lb) boneless breast in large chunks with the apricots. Simmer for 15–20 minutes, just until it reaches 74°C (165°F).
• Other fruit: use prunes, dates or golden raisins in place of some or all of the apricots. Dates are sweeter, so leave out the honey.
• Olives: add a handful of green or purple olives with the preserved lemon for a saltier, sharper sauce.
• Vegetables: add thick carrot batons in step 4.
• Vegetarian: use two 400 g (14 oz) cans of chickpeas, drained, and 500 g (1 lb) butternut squash cubes with vegetable stock. Simmer for 20 minutes before adding the fruit.
• Butter: use olive oil for dairy-free, or a teaspoon of smen (Moroccan aged butter) for a traditional tang.
• Gluten-free: the tagine itself is gluten-free as long as your stock is. Serve it with rice or gluten-free bread instead of couscous.

If you like this, our Moroccan lamb tagine with prunes uses a similar spice base with a longer, slower braise. For more weeknight ideas, browse our one-pot chicken dinners and other easy chicken recipes.

New to these spices? Read our Moroccan spice guide.

Cooking in clay or a slow cooker? See how to cook a tagine.

Moroccan Chicken Tajine with Apricots

Bone-in chicken thighs simmered with onion, ginger, cinnamon and saffron, finished with honeyed apricots, preserved lemon and toasted almonds. Made in one Dutch oven or a clay tagine.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Moroccan

Servings 4

Equipment

• 4–5 litre (4–5 qt) Dutch oven or a clay tagine with heat diffuser

Ingredients

  

• 1.2 kg bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs about 8
• 1 tsp fine sea salt plus more to taste
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• about 15 saffron threads optional
• 3 cloves garlic finely grated
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion 225 g / 8 oz, coarsely grated
• 1 tbsp butter or olive oil
• 1 large onion 225 g / 8 oz, thinly sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 15 g cilantro and flat-leaf parsley tied in a bundle
• 300 ml water or low-sodium chicken stock
• ¼ preserved lemon rind only, rinsed and thinly sliced, optional
• 150 g dried apricots
• 1 tbsp honey
• 40 g whole blanched almonds toasted
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro or parsley

Instructions

 

• Mix the salt, pepper, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, garlic, saffron with its soaking water, olive oil and grated onion. Rub all over the chicken and marinate 30 minutes at room temperature or up to 12 hours in the fridge.
• Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Scrape the marinade off the chicken and save it. Cook the thighs skin-side down for 5–6 minutes until golden, in batches if needed. Set aside.
• Add the sliced onion and a pinch of salt and cook 6–8 minutes until soft and pale gold. Add the saved marinade and cook 2 minutes until the spices smell toasty.
• Add the water or stock, scraping the bottom. Add the cinnamon stick and herb bundle. Return the chicken skin-side up; the liquid should come about halfway up.
• Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on low at a bare bubble for 35 minutes.
• Add the apricots, preserved lemon and honey. Cover and cook 15 minutes more, until the meat pulls easily from the bone (at least 74°C / 165°F; ideally 80–85°C / 175–185°F for thighs).
• Lift out the chicken, herb bundle and cinnamon stick. Boil the sauce uncovered 5–8 minutes until it coats a spoon. Adjust salt, honey or lemon.
• Return the chicken, spoon over the sauce and apricots, and top with almonds, sesame and herbs. Rest 5 minutes and serve with khobz, crusty bread or couscous.

Notes

Clay tagine: use 200 ml (¾ cup) liquid, a heat diffuser, skip browning, and add 10–15 minutes.

Oven: after step 4, bake covered at 170°C (340°F) for 40 minutes, add the fruit for 15 minutes, then reduce the sauce on the stove.

Ras el hanout shortcut: replace the ginger, cinnamon and cumin with 2 tsp ras el hanout.

No preserved lemon: stir in 1 tsp grated lemon zest and a squeeze of juice at the end.

Storage: fridge up to 3 days, freezer up to 3 months. Reheat gently, covered, until piping hot (74°C / 165°F).

Keyword chicken tagine, chicken tagine with apricots, chicken tajine, Moroccan chicken tagine, one-pot chicken, preserved lemon chicken

Photo: Zak Chapman on Pexels