Tagine of chicken with fennel, oranges and olives
This is a perfect dish for transition from winter to warmer weather and can easily be made a day ahead and reheated. The smell of the spices, oranges and olives while the tagine is cooking will immediately transport you to the Mediterranean.
8 chicken thighs, bone in, skin removed
2 Tbl. olive oil
1 tsp. Moroccan spice mix (see below)
1 tsp. ground cumin (in addition to spice mix)
2 Tbl. butter
1 onion, quartered and sliced
½ bulb fresh fennel, sliced thin
1 orange
2 bay leaves
½ tsp. kosher salt
20 pitted calamata olives
1 ½ cups chicken stock
¼ cup chopped Italian parsley
Toss the chicken thighs in a bowl with the olive oil, cumin, chile, and spice mix. Set aside.
In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium high heat. Brown the chicken in the butter on all sides and remove to a clean bowl.
Turn down the heat under the pan to low and add the onions and fennel. Sauté the vegetables until soft, stirring often, about 15 minutes.
Cut the orange in half and squeeze the juice from both halves into the pan. Cut one half into 6 pieces and add to the pan along with the bay leaves, salt, olives and chicken stock. Return the chicken to the pan, cover and cook over low heat for about 45 minutes. Chicken should easily pull away from the bone.
Turn off the heat under the skillet. Remove the orange pieces.
Ladle all the stock into a fat separator pitcher or regular measuring cup (try not to include any solids).
Allow the stock to sit until the fat rises to the top, then carefully pour the stock back into the pan leaving the fat behind. At this point the chicken can sit and be reheated later or served right away.
Just before serving, sprinkle the parsley on top.
Serves 4.
This recipe is easily doubled for 8 people.
Serve with basmati rice pilaf or couscous.
Moroccan Spice Mix
1 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground chili
¼ tsp. ground cloves
¼ tsp. ground allspice
Mix all spices and store in a small spice jar for use tagines or as a BBQ rub for chicken or lamb
Recipe by Jane O'Riordan, Domaine de la Terre Rouge
