Happy December, Yummies! Don’t you just crave stews and soups in this weather? Dank days, chilly nights, biting wind, they all seem to call out for something warm and comforting. Something nutritious but super flavorful.
In cooking class a couple of weeks ago, we made a tagine so delicious that, excluding one, the entire class of Yummies devoured it. That is a world Yummy record, I think. There really is something for everyone in this dish: carrots, chickpeas, pumpkin or squash, and the chicken.
This recipe also has the advantage of being highly adaptable. For years I have made a vegetarian version of this dish, adding sweet potatoes to the mix and playing up the spices a bit to balance out the flavor. And, if you do not own a clay baker like this one, you can substitute an oven-proof pot with a lid. Just make sure that you also adjust the temperature (375 degrees F should be about right) and the cooking time. The clay does make the flavor of the tagine both richer and more authentic, but it will still taste amazing made in any sort of pot that will hold it all and fit in the oven.
Chicken Tagine in a Clay Baker
*a whole chicken (4-6 lbs)
*2 lbs. butternut squash or pumpkin, peeled, seeds scooped out, and cut into 1-inch chunks
*2 medium carrots, scrubbed and sliced coarsely
*2 cups cooked chickpeas
*1 T. cumin
*2 cinnamon sticks
*1 t. ground ginger
*1/2 t. coriander
*2 bay leaves
*1 c. shallots, chopped
*2 c. onions, chopped
*4 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
*3 mini-chef handfuls each of golden raisins, cranberries, and brown raisins
*2 c. chicken or veggie stock
Soak your clay baker in cool clean water for at least 15 minutes.
With your mini-chef, place all of the ingredients into the base of your baker. Make sure that you spread everything out so that each bite will be tasty: a bay leaf over here, a bay leaf over there. A handful of cranberries over in that corner, a handful right beside the chicken leg, etc.
Put the lid on the baker and place the whole thing in a COLD oven. Turn the oven on to 480 degrees F. Bake for about 2 hours, or until a thermometer placed into the chicken breast registers 180 F.
Cool a few minutes outside the oven. Discard the bay leaves and the cinnamon sticks. Serve over rice or cous-cous.
