Tunisian Tagine (w/ Chicken or Chickpeas) Couscous & Green Harissa Sauce
A delicious Tunisian-inspired Tagine (with your choice of Chicken or chickpeas) Carrots, Cous Cous and flavorful Green Harissa Sauce. A one-pan meal that can be made in 45 minutes! Vegan and Gluten-free adaptable!
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: Main, One pot meal, Chicken, Vegan
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Tunisian
Scale
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs boneless chicken thigh meat (or substitute 3 cups cooked garbanzos, 2 cans drained, or a combination of both. Vegetarians could also add cauliflower.)
- 2 tablespoons oil
- Generous pinch salt and chili powder
- 3 medium carrots
- 1 large onion
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger-minced
- 5 garlic cloves- rough chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon caraway seeds, optional but very tasty
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 can diced tomatoes ( fire-roasted if possible)
- ¼ cup dried apricots, diced (or sub raisins)
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 ½ cups couscous ( or sub 1 cup quinoa– see notes )
GREEN HARISSA SAUCE
- 1 cup plain yogurt (don’t use zero fat, or if you do, add a tablespoon or two of olive oil) or sub vegan yogurt ( like coconut yogurt)
- ½–1 bunch Italian parsley, small stems OK ( or substitute cilantro)
- 1–2 garlic cloves
- ½ to 1 whole jalapeño
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon coriander (or cumin)
- ½ teaspoon salt
Optional garnish: fresh mint leaves, toasted slivered almonds or pine nuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F
- In a large heavy-bottom, ovenproof skillet or dutch oven heat to the oil. Cut chicken into bigger bite-sized pieces, 1-2 inches, and generously salt and pepper and sprinkle with chili powder (If using chickpeas, see notes). Sear chicken 5 minutes on each side, turning the heat down to medium if necessary until it’s golden brown. While chicken is searing, prep the veggies.
- Slice the carrots at diagonal ⅓ inch thick. Slice the onions into rings ⅓ inch think, then cut into half-moons. Rough chop the garlic, and finely mince the ginger. Chop the apricots.
- When Chicken is golden, remove it from the pan, and set it aside on a plate (it will finish cooking in the oven). Add the onions and carrots to the same pan (adding a tad more oil if need be) and cook over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring very often. Turn heat to medium and cook for just a few more minutes until onions become tender. Add the garlic and ginger, sauté for 2 minutes. Add the spices, and sauté for one minute to bring out their flavor. Add the salt, sugar, undrained tomatoes, dried apricots and water. Bring to a simmer and stir a bit. Once it’s simmering, stir in the couscous. Nestle in the chicken cover and place in the oven for 15 minutes.
- While it’s baking, make the Green Harissa Yogurt Sauce …by placing the parsley or cilantro, garlic and jalapeño in a food processor and pulse (or finely chop) then place in a bowl. Stir in yogurt spices & salt.
- After 15 minutes, pull the pan from the oven. If you want the chicken to darken up a bit, broil for a minute or two. Scatter with the mint leaves and serve with Green Harissa Yogurt Sauce.
Notes
- NOTES: If subbing chickpeas, drain them first. For the fastest preparation, place them directly over the couscous to heat in the oven, sprinkle with a little salt. OR for added flavor, give chickpeas a quick fry: drain, pat dry and sauté with olive oil for 3-4 minutes, then sprinkle with salt, pepper and a little chili powder or cumin, sautéing for just another minute. To keep them crispy, add them to the couscous after it comes out of the oven. Another option is to add cauliflower, same preparation.
- If subbing quinoa: Add 1 cup rinsed quinoa and 1 ¾ Cups water. Extend cooking time by 10 minutes.
Keywords: tagine, tagine recipe, moroccan chicken, moroccan chickpeas, tunisian chicken, Tunisian recipes, cous cous, cous cous recipes
Find it online: https://www.feastingathome.com/tunisian-chicken-with-cous-cous/