With all this snow and rain this week, we found ourselves day-dreaming of warm, sunny weather. This week we wanted to share with you one of our favorite recipes that will offer a brief escape to warm and sunny Morocco.
Easy to make and simple to follow the Morrocan Mango Chicken Tagine recipe is great as a Sunday Dinner with the family, or for a gathering with friends.
Get your hands on this great recipe and more just like it with one of our favorite cookbooks,Coconut 24/7.
One of our favorite tagine is from the iconic French ceramic maker,Emile Henry. You and your guests will be instantly impressed with how full your sauces and perfectly cooked your meat will be when you cook with a Tagine!
Moroccan Mango Chicken Tagine
Makes 4 servings
Coconut and garam masala make a perfect combination for this fruity chicken dish. Cooking in a tagine is like poaching. The liquids do not evaporate and the fruit reduces into the sauce as the dish cooks.
3 tbsp melted coconut oil
2 onions, cut into quarters
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp Garam Masala Spice Blend*
2 dried cayenne peppers, crushed
1 tomato, cut into quarters
2 mangoes, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup coconut milk
4 skinless chicken breasts (bone in or out)
In a large flameproof tagine or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 to 2 minutes or until onion is soft. Stir in Garam Masala Spice Blend and cayenne.
Add tomato, mangoes and milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add chicken, meaty side down, sliding it around and moving onions away so the chicken is in direct contact with the bottom of the tagine. Cook for about 3 minutes or until bottom of chicken is browned.
Using tongs, turn chicken over. Cover with lid, reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring once, for 35 minutes or until cooked through and thickest part of chicken reaches 165°F on a meat thermometer.
The cayenne pepper (Capsicum annum ‘cayenne’) is a small, hot red pepper that grows to about 1-1/2 to 2-inches long. It is sometimes available fresh in supermarkets or farmers’ markets, but more often it is dried and sold whole, flaked (also known as “hot pepper flakes”) or powdered. You can substitute the dried cayenne in this recipe with 1 tsp (or less) hot pepper flakes or cayenne powder.
A tagine is a 2-piece clay pot with a cone-shaped lid that has been used by nomadic Middle Eastern (Berber) tribes for centuries. It is also the word used to describe dishes cooked in the unique pot. Foods cooked in a tagine are incredibly moist, often cooked in velvety fruit sauces that are spectacular when served with rice or noodles. If you don’t have a flameproof tagine (one that may be used safely on top of the stove), use a Dutch oven with a lid.
