Name: Chicken Tagine With Apricots and Almonds
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 1/2 hr
Yield: Makes 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 teaspoon ground ginger; ½ teaspoon turmeric; ½ teaspoon black pepper; 1¼ teaspoons salt; 3 tablespoons plus ¼ cup olive oil; 1 (3-lb) chicken, cut into 6 pieces, wings and backbone discarded; 1 tablespoon unsalted butter; 1 medium red onion, halved, then sliced 1/4 inch thick; 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 5 fresh cilantro; 5 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley; 1½ cups water; 2 tablespoons mild honey; 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick; ½ cup dried Turkish apricots, separated into halves; ⅓ cup whole blanched almonds; a 10- to 12-inch tagine or heavy skillet; kitchen string

Gourmet's Chicken Tagine with Apricots and Almonds in a tagine pot with mint tea and almonds on the side.

Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman, Food Styling by John Bjostad

Created by chef Baija Lafridi at Jnane Tamsna in Marrakech, this Moroccan chicken tagine recipe is both savory and a little bit sweet, thanks to the addition of dried apricots. Gourmet food editor Maggie Ruggiero had the opportunity to taste this dish on a visit to Morocco, where there is no lack of delicious tagine preparations to try.

For this chicken tagine recipe, a passel of warm spices—including cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, and black pepper—complement the sweetness of the dried fruit and infuse the meat with a luscious flavor and aroma. After coating the chicken pieces in the spice mixture, sear them in the base of a tagine (or if you don’t have one, a skillet) until the skin is nicely browned. The chicken then gently cooks slowly atop a bed of sautéed onions and garlic inside the tagine; the cookware’s conical design keeps moisture inside and ensures that the chicken will be continually basted by the condensation that forms along the walls of the cooking vessel. Meanwhile, you’ll plump up the dried apricots in a syrup of honey with cinnamon sticks, and then toast a handful of whole, blanched almonds in a bit of oil. Just before serving, stir in the tender spiced apricots, and then top with the toasted almonds.

Editor’s note: This recipe was originally published in the May 2006 issue of ‘Gourmet’ and first appeared online December 31, 2014.