Tagine Djej bil-Mishmish

Name: Tagine Djej bil-Mishmish
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 55 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Morocco
Ingredients: 1.5 kg chicken, jointed into 8 pieces, skin on; 180 g dried apricots, unsulphured preferred; halved if large; 2 tbsp argan oil or olive oil; 2 large onions, finely sliced; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tsp fresh root ginger, finely grated; 0.5 tsp saffron threads, steeped in 4 tbsp warm water for 15 minutes; 1 tsp ground ginger; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 0.5 tsp ground cumin; 0.5 tsp sweet paprika; 0.5 tsp ras el hanout; 1 preserved lemon quarter, flesh discarded, rind rinsed and finely chopped; 2 tbsp honey; 200 ml chicken stock or water; 1 tsp fine salt, plus more to taste; 40 g toasted blanched almonds; 2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped

Moroccan chicken tagine with apricots and honey: whole chicken pieces braised in a clay tagine with dried apricots, saffron, preserved lemon, ginger, and cinnamon until the sauce caramelises to a rich, amber glaze

Origin: Morocco

From the journey of Apricot.

The Moroccan tagine is one of the most sophisticated forms of braised cookery in the world, and the combination of chicken with dried apricots is among its most celebrated expressions. The tradition is rooted in the Andalusian Arab kitchens that relocated to Fez and Marrakesh after the fall of al-Andalus in the fifteenth century, bringing with them a refined sweet-savoury cooking philosophy built on fruit, honey, saffron, and fragrant spice as structural ingredients, not mere seasonings. The dried apricot (mishmish in Arabic, barquq meshmesh in Darija) was the Moroccan cook's preferred sweet souring agent long before the tomato arrived. In the tagine, the apricots serve two functions: they release their sweetness and acidity into the braising liquid, thickening it and giving it the amber depth that cannot be achieved by any other means; and they hold their shape sufficiently to provide textural contrast against the falling-tender chicken. Saffron colours the sauce golden; preserved lemon adds the saline, fermented edge; ginger and cinnamon and ras el hanout provide the Moroccan warm-spice register. The whole preparation is cooked low and slow under the conical tagine lid, which channels the condensing steam back onto the food and produces a self-basting braise of remarkable depth with very little liquid.

Ingredients

Poultry

1.5 kg chicken, jointed into 8 pieces, skin on

Fruit

180 g dried apricots, unsulphured preferred; halved if large

Fat

2 tbsp argan oil or olive oil

Aromatics

2 large onions, finely sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh root ginger, finely grated

Spice

0.5 tsp saffron threads, steeped in 4 tbsp warm water for 15 minutes
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
0.5 tsp ground cumin
0.5 tsp sweet paprika
0.5 tsp ras el hanout

Acid

1 preserved lemon quarter, flesh discarded, rind rinsed and finely chopped

Sweet

2 tbsp honey

Liquid

200 ml chicken stock or water

Seasoning

1 tsp fine salt, plus more to taste

Finish

40 g toasted blanched almonds
2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped

Method

Season the chicken pieces all over with salt. Heat the oil in the base of a heavy tagine (or a wide, heavy casserole) over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken pieces on all sides until well coloured. Remove and set aside.
Reduce heat to medium. Add the sliced onions to the same pan and cook for 12 minutes, stirring, until soft and golden. Add the fresh ginger and garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add the ground ginger, cinnamon, cumin, paprika, and ras el hanout. Stir for 1 minute. Pour in the saffron water and stock. Add the preserved lemon rind, honey, and a little more salt. Stir to combine.
Return the chicken pieces to the tagine, burying them slightly in the onion and sauce. Nestle the dried apricots around and between the chicken pieces. Cover with the conical lid.
Cook over very low heat for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes without lifting the lid. The chicken should be falling off the bone and the apricots very soft. The sauce will be thick and fragrant.
Scatter the toasted almonds and fresh coriander over the finished tagine and serve directly from the clay dish, with flatbread or couscous to absorb the sauce.

Notes

Unsulphured dark dried apricots give the richest flavour; the bright-orange sulphured variety is milder and sweeter but works well too. If you cannot find preserved lemons, substitute 1 teaspoon of finely grated lemon zest and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, though the fermented depth of real preserved lemon is quite different. The tagine can be prepared a day ahead and reheated; the flavours improve considerably overnight. A scattering of sesame seeds over the finished dish is a Fez variation.

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control