Chicken and Chickpea Tagine with Couscous and Harissa Sauce
Serves 8
Adapted from Feasting At Home
For Chicken:
1½ pounds (650 - 700 grams) boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 can (12-14 ounces/340-400 grams) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
5 medium carrots, peeled
Once peeled, using the same peeler to peel carrot lengthwise to make thin, long stripes. Cut those into 2-3 inch (5-8 centimeter) pieces
1½ large onions, diced
1½ tablespoon ginger, minced
7 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1½ teaspoons cumin
1½ teaspoons coriander
¾ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1½ teaspoons salt
1 can (12-14 ounces/340-400 grams) diced tomatoes
¼ cup dried apricots, diced
2 cups water
2 cups couscous
For Harissa Sauce:
1 cup plain, full fat yogurt
1 bunch Italian parsley
1 bunch cilantro
2 garlic cloves
1 whole jalapeño
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon coriander
½ teaspoon cumin
¾ teaspoon salt
For Garnish (optional):
Fresh mint, coarsely chopped
Toasted slivered almonds
Pine nuts
For Harissa Sauce:
Add yogurt, parsley, cilantro, garlic, jalapeño, smoked paprika, coriander, cumin, and salt in a food processor. Blend until the herbs, garlic, and jalapeño have been finely chopped and the spices are fully incorporated.
Taste and adjust seasoning to your preferences.
For Chicken:
Preheat oven to 400° F
Add the bite-sized pieces of chicken to a mixing bowl and mix in the salt, pepper, and chili powder. Stir everything together to make sure the seasoning is evenly distributed over the chicken.
Heat a large, oven-safe pan over medium-high heat. As the pan is heating up, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once hot, add the chickpeas. Leave them in the pan, undisturbed, for 1-2 minutes before stirring. Let them sauté, stirring occasionally, until crispy, about 5 additional minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
In the same pan, add another 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once hot, add the chicken and sear for a few minutes on each side, until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside on a different plate than the chickpeas.
Remember, you aren’t fully cooking the chicken (that will come from baking it), so you’re only looking to sear the outside.
In the same pan, reduce the heat to medium and add a bit more olive oil, followed by the onions and carrots. Cook until both are tender and the onions are fragrant, about 5-7 minutes.
Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, and salt, and stir everything together for 1 minute.
Add the diced tomatoes, apricots, and water and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally while loosening browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
This next step should go fast: once simmering, pour in the couscous and add the chicken back in. Cover quickly. Place the pan in the oven and let it cook for for 15-20 minutes.
Once cooked, remove the lid and mix everything together. Add in the chickpeas and mix everything together again.
Serve and garnish with mint leaves, slivered almonds, pine nuts. Drizzle the Harissa Sauce over top.
Enjoy!