Chicken Tagine

This Chicken Tagine, filled with warm fragrant spices, tender chicken, and a luscious sauce is incredibly easy to execute and yields the deep, rich flavors that are the hallmark of Moroccan tagines. The best part? You don’t need a traditional tagine pot to enjoy this dish—a simple Dutch oven or skillet works just fine! Whether you’re new to North African cuisine or a seasoned home chef, this guide will walk you through creating a chicken tagine bursting with bold flavors.

Chasing Away The Winter Blues

This January feels particularly heavy—and freezing cold. In my world, there’s only one remedy for the winter blues: cooking something ultra-cozy and packed with flavor to lift the mood. This Moroccan chicken tagine, brimming with warming spices and tender, succulent chicken, is just what the doctor ordered.

Despite their rich, complex flavors, chicken tagines are surprisingly easy and quick to prepare—the richness of the dish comes from layers of flavor, not laborious browning of meat. However, the key to a truly memorable tagine lies in the details—neglect them, and the dish can fall flat. A generous, harmonious mix of aromatic spices is essential, but those spices need to be fresh and vibrant. In other words, don’t rely on the stale jars of spices hiding at the back of your pantry.

To me, preserved lemons, now more widely available, are a non-negotiable ingredient—they add a distinctive brightness that makes the dish sing. Copious amounts of savory olives, onions and garlic provide the perfect counterbalance to the sweetness of the fruit, while fresh herbs are more than just garnish—they deliver a bright, refreshing note to the tagine.

Another standout element of this dish is the caramelized apricots. While you could skip caramelizing the apricots and toss them in as-is, trust me, you don’t want to miss this step. Cooking them down with honey, water, and a cinnamon stick until they’re glazed and sticky-sweet adds a depth of flavor that elevates the entire dish.

The beauty of this recipe is that most of the cooking time is hands-off. While the tagine simmers away, you can whip up some fluffy couscous or warm a few flatbreads to serve alongside. Don’t hesitate to give this one a try, you’re going to love it.

What Is A Tagine?

A tagine is both a traditional North African cooking vessel and the name of the slow-cooked dishes prepared in it. The tagine pot is uniquely designed with a wide, shallow base and a cone-shaped lid that helps trap and circulate steam, allowing food to cook gently and retain moisture. This design creates tender, flavorful meals with minimal liquid.

Tagine dishes typically combine meat, poultry, or vegetables with a blend of Moroccan spices, fruits, and nuts, resulting in a rich and aromatic stew. Though traditionally made of clay or ceramic, tagines are also available in modern materials for use on stovetops and ovens.

I developed this chicken tagine recipe with a lot of guidance from this wonderful Moroccan cookbook, and a very old recipe I have had for years from the now defunct Gourmet magazine.

Do I Need A Tagine To Make This Recipe?

No, you absolutely don’t need a tagine pot to make a chicken tagine. While the traditional cone-shaped tagine pot enhances flavor by trapping steam and allowing the dish to cook gently, you can achieve similar results using a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, a large skillet with a lid, or any oven-safe pot with a tight-fitting lid.

The key is to maintain low, steady heat and ensure the ingredients stay moist during cooking. A tagine pot is a lovely addition if you enjoy making North African dishes regularly, but it’s not essential for delicious results.

Note: If you choose to use a tagine to make this recipe, make sure you place a heat diffuser under it so it doesn’t crack with the heat.

Key Ingredient Notes

Creating an authentic chicken tagine starts with selecting the right ingredients. This is just an overview of the ingredients you need. For a complete list of ingredients and measurements, scroll down to the recipe card.

• Chicken: Bone-in, skinless chicken thighs are ideal for this dish as they stay juicy and flavorful during slow cooking. You can leave the skin on if you wish, but it will get very soft since the stew is cooked with a lid.
• Preserved Lemons: These tangy, salty lemons are a cornerstone of Moroccan cuisine, adding brightness and depth to the tagine. Do your best not to omit them but if you can’t find preserved lemons, fresh lemon juice and lemon zest will make a decent substitute.
• Onions and Garlic: These aromatics create a savory base for the dish and complement the sweetness of the fruit. You want at least 2 cups of sliced onion as they provide a lot of flavor and liquid to the dish.
• Spices: A harmonious blend of cumin, coriander, cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, and paprika delivers the signature warmth and complexity of Moroccan cooking.
• Harissa paste (optional): Harissa is a North African chili pepper paste that’s loaded with delicious spices and smoky flavor. It adds another dimension of flavor to this dish but it is not a common or essential ingredient in chicken tangines so feel free to leave it out. I only add it if I already have an open jar in the fridge (which is almost always because I love it). Note that harissa can vary in heat level — usually available in mild or spicy — so if yours is spicy, add only 1 tablespoon. 
• Saffron (optional): I love adding a few threads of saffron to this chicken tagine. It lends a golden hue and an inimitable flavor to the braise. That said, I often omit it and the tagine is just as gorgeous and delicious.
• Dried apricots: Apricots or prunes add a touch of natural sweetness that balances the savory elements. Many tagine recipes call for caramelizing the apricots (or any dried fruit) before adding them to the tagine. It is an extra, optional step but you do this while the chicken is cooking and all you need to do is cook the apricots with water, honey and a cinnamon stick until they’re jammy and extra delicious. Super worth it. If you wish to skip this step, simply add the apricots as-is to the pot.
• Olives: Green or purple olives add a salty, briny note to the dish.
• Fresh Herbs: Cilantro and parsley provide a vibrant, fresh finish.
• Low-sodium chicken stock or water: Helps create a rich, flavorful sauce to infuse the chicken and vegetables. If you wish, you can use water—I often do.
• Toasted blanched almonds (optional): While I love the flavor and crunch from the toasted almonds, feel free to omit them if allergies are a concern.

How To Prepare Preserved Lemons For This Chicken Tagine

For this recipe, we are using the pulp of the preserved lemons as well as the skin. Some preserved lemons are quite large, and some are very small. Mine were very small so I used two. Here’s how to prepare them:

1. Use a small sharp knife to quarter the preserved lemon.
2. Using the tip of the knife, separate the pulp from the skin. Remove the seeds and give the pulp a rough chop.
3. Thinly slice the skin.

How To Cook Chicken Tagine

Here’s a simplified overview of the steps to create your chicken tagine. For the detailed instructions, scroll down to the recipe card.

Marinate the Chicken: In a small bowl, mix the dried spices. In a medium bowl, combine half of the spice mix along with the preserved lemon pulp, chopped fresh herbs, harissa (if using), and olive oil. Add the chicken pieces and toss to coat. Set aside and let marinate while you chop and cook the aromatics.

Sauté Aromatics: Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft, about 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the garlic along with remaining spice mix. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. 

Simmer the Chicken: Pour in the broth or water and place the chicken pieces, meat-side down, on top of the onion mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, flip the chicken, and continue to cook, covered, for 20 more minutes.

Caramelize the Apricots (Optional): Cook dried apricots with honey, cinnamon, and water until sticky and caramelized.

Add remaining ingredients to the chicken: Remove the lid and add the apricot mixture, olives and preserved lemon slices. Cover again, and simmer for another 10 minutes until the chicken is fork-tender and the flavors meld.

Garnish and Serve: Sprinkle extra chopped fresh herbs on top and serve over couscous or with flatbread.

Recipe FAQ’s

Serving Suggestions

In Morocco, tagines are served with bread (not couscous) which is used as a utensil to scoop up the tagine for eating. Khobz — a round, flatbread with a thick crust that is baked in an oven — is what is served in Morocco. I can’t find this bread easily where I live so I typically serve it with a flatbread such as naan or pita.

Though not traditional, we do enjoy our tagine with a side of riced cauliflower, couscous, basmati rice, or quinoa, to make it a more filling, well-rounded meal. Boiled baby potatoes, or roasted potato wedges would also be delicious with this tagine.

Or make a beautiful Moroccan inspired dinner and pair the chicken tagine with a Moroccan salad, a hummus platter, cheese, olives, nuts, and wine — yum!

Make-Ahead, Storage And Reheating Tips

• Make-ahead: Like most stew-like dishes, chicken tagine is an excellent dish to make ahead of time because the flavors will have time to meld. Prepare the entire dish ahead and refrigerate, tightly covered for up to 3 days. Alternatively, get ahead with prep work by refrigerating the marinated chicken for up to 24 hours.

• Store in the refrigerator: Leftover chicken tagine can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• Freeze leftovers: Chicken tagine freezes well. Store the cooled leftovers in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
• Reheat: For best results, reheat chicken tagine in a skillet over medium heat. You may need to add some water if the stew seems a bit dry. If the tagine was previously frozen, add a few dashes of the same spices you used to make it to liven it up again.

More Cozy Chicken Stews For Winter