North African chicken tagine

Latest comments and suggestions

• grumpykoala

  2011-01-22 00:06:50.496785

  grumpykoala rated and commented on this recipe

  

  I tried this recipe a couple of nights ago with a friend and we had mixed success. The chicken was really nice and crispy, and the butternut squash was cooked perfectly. However, my main complaint would be the fact that the sauce is very watery. Without anything to thicken it, it is like a very thin gravy rather than a sauce. The taste of the sauce was also overwhelmingly of saffron, despite only using a small pinch. I have to say that it was much nicer the next day, heated up in a saucepan which caused the butternut squash to break down and thicken the sauce, as well as a good helping of crushed almonds. I would be interested to hear if other people had similar/different experiences.

  Flag as inappropriate

  Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  Your name: Reason:
• grumpykoala

  2011-01-22 00:08:28.217184

  grumpykoala commented on this recipe

  Oops! I meant to give this three stars, not two!

  Flag as inappropriate

  Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  Your name: Reason:
• DrFabio

  2011-01-24 11:28:46.932116

  DrFabio rated and commented on this recipe

  

  1 star for recipe, 4 for flavour. Disappointing - pleased I didn't try this out for friends first. Chicken - used 6 thighs. Skin turned into nasty gelatinous mess - though I poured the stock around it lost all crispiness, I think because it must have steamed. Will skin next time - and will probably use thigh fillets. Ridiculously (and disgustingly) fatty, despite pouring off most of what had rendered out. Got about 150ml of fat off at the end before giving up. Skinning will hopefully solve this next time. Far too watery. Not a sauce so much as a giant pool of stock. Ended up thickening with 3 dessert spoons of cornflour. Will use 300ml instead. Didn't like the chunks of spice which came from "lightly crushing" - will grind more finely next time. Flavour was good. Butternut was delicious, and I liked it with lots of chopped coriander. Served it with crusty bread. Will make again, but with some major tweaks.

  Flag as inappropriate

  Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  Your name: Reason:
• Ali

  2011-02-04 19:35:05.523209

  Ali rated and commented on this recipe

  

  I took note of the comments made by Grumpy Koala and DrFabio and adjusted my recipe accordingly. I used skinless chicken breast and boneless and skinless thighs. I also used less stock and added some sweet potato along with the squash. Everyone enjoyed it and as I made twice the quantity I have more in the freezer for another time. Oh yes, I didnt put the saffron in as I thought the recipe didnt warrant the additional cost.

  Flag as inappropriate

  Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  Your name: Reason:
• Four Candles

  2011-02-07 20:19:26.162495

  Four Candles rated and commented on this recipe

  

  Went straight for skinless chicken - I never have any success with skin-on in this kind of recipe as it just doesn't stay crisp. I put a tablespoon of cornflour in to make it a bit thicker, but the thinness is definitely more authentic (from my limited experiences of Moroccan restaurants). I also left out the saffron and put in a smidge of turmeric instead for the colour. Like Ali, I need saffron to be a major player in a recipe before splashing out on it. If I make again will put half the honey in as I found just slightly too sweet.

  Flag as inappropriate

  Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  Your name: Reason:
• amanda

  2011-02-09 09:35:39.106854

  amanda commented on this recipe

  The skin should be removed , it does not stay crisp due to the sauce. also I advise halving the stock, 500ml is by far to much and add 2 chopped plum tomatoes and a bit of juice , the sauce will be slightly thicker, though sauces for theese kind of tajines are not meant to be thick. good luck!

  Flag as inappropriate

  Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  Your name: Reason:
• karend

  2011-02-19 12:20:34.256798

  karend rated and commented on this recipe

  

  We loved it - made as per recipe except I used all boneless, skinless meat. The sauce was thin but I felt by serving with couscous it was fine. Will be making this tasty dish again.

  Flag as inappropriate

  Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  Your name: Reason:
• sherrie

  2011-02-21 21:16:55.751969

  sherrie commented on this recipe

  very disappointed cooked for tonights dinner as everyone said much too watery added cornflour next time will add a couple of fresh chillies with ginger and garlic as there was no spicy heat ! does anyone have an authentic recipe for tagine as every recipe i come across has a different set of ingredients ! sadly this tagine was lacking flavour anyone any suggestions ?

  Flag as inappropriate

  Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  Your name: Reason:
• sherrie

  2011-02-21 21:28:07.192253

  sherrie commented on this recipe

  just realised might have made a mistake by putting a lid on it before i put it in the oven the sauce would have reduced better without the lid any comments about it ?

  Flag as inappropriate

  Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  Your name: Reason:
• williamsgran

  2011-03-25 15:46:45.016232

  williamsgran rated and commented on this recipe

  

  Have made this 4 times for dinner parties, everyone loved it and I have had requests for the recipe.... I used skinless boneless chicken breast, which I cut up into chunks. I don't use the butternut squash, although I have used sweet potato or sliced carrots. I thicken the sauce with cornflour, as yes it is too thin, then serve with lashings of creamy mash....yum.

  Flag as inappropriate

  Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  Your name: Reason:
• Kelly

  2012-01-07 17:39:29.142139

  Kelly rated and commented on this recipe

  

  After reading some reviews I was unsure if this would be nice. However I found it easy, full of aromatic flavour and enough warmth to enhance the spices. I did thicken just a little and added chick peas, just because I like them and served with farro grain. Really enjoyed it and will freeze a portion which I guess will taste even nicer. I thought the lightly crushed spices was perfect and for a tagine it was not too sweet as no dried fruits in recipe. I would make this for guests. :)

  Flag as inappropriate

  Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  Your name: Reason:
• samjlynch

  2012-03-08 08:25:55.342558

  samjlynch rated and commented on this recipe

  

  Beautiful! I took note of the previous comments and took the skin off the chicken, omitted the honey, cooked for an extra ten minutes to break down the butternut squash a bit more and used 200ml of the stock from the casserole part way through instead of water for my cous cous... Was really yummy, will definitely be making again!

  Flag as inappropriate

  Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  Your name: Reason:
• Justcook1974

  2012-06-18 12:22:52.164011

  Justcook1974 commented on this recipe

  If you find sauce is too thin try stirring in a tbl spoon of low fat creme fraiche, or to the required consistency, at the end of cooking. Turns a watery gravy into a sauce.

  Flag as inappropriate

  Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  Your name: Reason:
• Beckyvod

  2012-06-29 14:35:53.089066

  Beckyvod commented on this recipe

  Never written a comment before although I use this site a lot. Felt I had to as so many people are changing it to skinless chicken. I did as the recipe said and it was lovely. My husband said the crispy skin was the best bit ! I did use a proper tagine so this may have helped as the chicken just sat on top of the squash and shallots and served on a bed of cous-cous(this helped soak up the lovely juices). It was a really nice dish that I would definitely do again.

  Flag as inappropriate

  Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  Your name: Reason:
• Michelle

  2012-07-06 19:50:47.027049

  Michelle commented on this recipe

  Try coating the meat in flour and seasoning and pan frying just to seal the meat. this also makes the sauce thicker. And add a touch of turmeric for added colour.

  Flag as inappropriate

  Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  Your name: Reason:
• Michy

  2012-10-20 22:59:27.903472

  Michy rated and commented on this recipe

  

  We absolutely loved this, scored 9/10 with the family. Made a few adjustments to take into account cupboard limitations and earlier comments. Used cumin, coriander and cinnamon powder and added dried coriander earlier. Added a tablespoon of flour to the butternut squash and cooked off before adding the stock and chicken to thicken the sauce a little. Made sure I cooked with the lid off, lowered the temperature by 10c and cooked for an hour which gave a nice crisp skin. Served with couscous with red onion and red pepper. Highly recommended.

  Flag as inappropriate

  Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  Your name: Reason:
• annml

  2013-01-01 17:18:43.382059

  annml rated and commented on this recipe

  

  Made double quantities of this last night to take round to friends for New Year's Eve and it didn't work out well at all for me though I do make tajines all the time. I used sweet potato which melted into mush on re-heating and the breast meat was tough and chewy while the thighs and other chicken pieces stayed tender... the sauce was totally lacking in flavour so would need to be heavier handed with the spices too next time round.

  Flag as inappropriate

  Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  Your name: Reason:
• yummymummy

  2013-02-15 22:28:53.891038

  yummymummy commented on this recipe

  Made this tonight and it was yummy! I used to live with a Moroccan family who made amazing food and I have to say that the sauce should be thin but full of flavour as would normally be served with let's of couscous in one big bowl and eaten with torn crusty bread for everyone to dig in at the same time. If you find there to be too much sauce use it instead of water for your couscous, much tastier!

  Flag as inappropriate

  Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  Your name: Reason:
• First Choice

  2013-02-22 12:44:38.345064

  First Choice commented on this recipe

  Excellent appreciated by all cooked it for a group of ten jeaN

  Flag as inappropriate

  Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  Your name: Reason:

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1091641/

Your binder

• Register
• Sign in
• More info

Sign up or sign in to receive a £60 wine voucher, and to save, rate and comment on recipes. Plus, get our newsletter.

Ingredients

• 2 large chicken breasts , skin on
• 4 chicken thighs , bone in and skin on
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 200g shallots , peeled
• 2 garlic cloves , sliced
• 4cm piece ginger , grated
• 1 tsp cumin seeds , lightly crushed
• 1 tsp coriander seeds , lightly crushed
• 2 small cinnamon sticks
• large pinch saffron threads
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• pinch crushed dried chilli
• 375g peeled butternut squash , cut into chunks
• 500ml chicken stock
• 1 rounded tbsp clear honey
• 2 tbsp roughly chopped coriander

Search Good Food

Keywords

Refine your recipe search

Search filter options

Search by cooking times Less than 10 minutes 10-30 minutes 35-60 minutes Over an hour Search by difficulty Easy Moderately easy For the keen cook Search by cuisine American British Caribbean French German Greek Indian Irish Italian Japanese Mediterranean Mexican Middle Eastern Moroccan Scottish Spanish Thai Vietnamese Search by course Warm starter Cold starter Main course Side dish Pudding Soup Course Breakfast Search by calorie range Less than 200 200-400 400-600 600-800 Over 800 Search by occasion Midweek meal Dinner party Family favourite Birthdays Christmas New Year Mother's Day Chinese New Year Easter Search by chef Good Food Team olive Angela Nilsen Anjum Anand Ching-He Huang Gary Rhodes Gordon Ramsay James Martin John Torode Ken Hom Lesley Waters Mary Cadogan Matt Tebbutt Merrilees Parker Nick Nairn Orlando Murrin Ruth Watson Sarah Cook Silvana Franco Simon Rimmer Search by diet Vegetarian Vegan Gluten-free Dairy-free Nut-free Egg-free Low-fat Low in salt Search by magazine BBC Good Food Olive Search by servings 1 2 4 6 8 For a crowd

Difficulty and servings

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking times

Prep 15 mins

Cook 1 hr 25 mins

Ingredients

• 2 large chicken breasts , skin on
• 4 chicken thighs , bone in and skin on
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 200g shallots , peeled
• 2 garlic cloves , sliced
• 4cm piece ginger , grated
• 1 tsp cumin seeds , lightly crushed
• 1 tsp coriander seeds , lightly crushed
• 2 small cinnamon sticks
• large pinch saffron threads
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• pinch crushed dried chilli
• 375g peeled butternut squash , cut into chunks
• 500ml chicken stock
• 1 rounded tbsp clear honey
• 2 tbsp roughly chopped coriander

PER SERVING

630 kcalories, protein 58g, carbohydrate 16g, fat 38 g, saturated fat 10g, fibre 3g, sugar 10g, salt 0.86 g

Advertisement

Your binder

Here are three other great reasons why to sign up:

• You get an online binder, where you can store all your favourite recipes and create menus.
• You can add your own recipes to this site for others to try; plus, rate and make comments on recipes, and share your views on our blog.
• You can sign up for our weekly newsletter (sent out on Wednesdays) - it's packed with recipes, special offers and competitions.