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30-Minute Chicken Tagine

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on June 25, 2009

Yield

Serves 4

30-Minute Chicken Tagine

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs Salt and ground black pepper 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 onion, minced2 teaspoons garam masala 4 garlic cloves, minced2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes ½ cup dried apricots, quartered1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

Before You Begin

MAKE THE MINUTES COUNT: Immediately start the chicken in the microwave, then mince the onion. Measure out the flour and broth and chop the apricots while the onion cooks.

Tagines are meat stews that feature a blend of sweet and savory ingredients. The dish of chicken will be very hot coming out of the microwave—be sure to set it on a clean, dry surface or trivet, and be careful of hot steam when removing the plastic wrap. Serve the tagine over couscous or rice.

Instructions

    microwave chicken

  1. Season chicken with salt and pepper and arrange in single layer in ­microwave-safe casserole dish. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave on 50 percent power for 15 minutes.
  2. sauté aromatics

  3. While chicken cooks, heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Stir in onion, garam masala, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  4. build sauce

  5. Stir in flour and cook until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in broth, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in tomatoes, apricots, and chickpeas, bring to simmer, and cook until apricots begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
  6. simmer chicken

  7. Reduce heat to low and add microwaved chicken with any accumulated juices. Cover and continue to cook until chicken is tender, about 10 minutes.
  8. finish

  9. Stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
30-Minute Chicken Tagine

30-Minute Chicken Tagine

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, minced
2 teaspoons garam masala
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
½ cup dried apricots, quartered
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, minced
2 teaspoons garam masala
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
½ cup dried apricots, quartered
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, minced
2 teaspoons garam masala
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
½ cup dried apricots, quartered
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

Why This Recipe Works

In search of a shortcut that could put our chicken tagine recipe on the table in 30 minutes, we gave the chicken a head start by precooking it in the microwave. After trying a variety of powers and cooking times, we found the power and time combination that gave us what we were looking for: halfway cooked chicken that cooked through in the braising liquid in about 10 minutes. For the chicken itself, we most liked boneless, skinless chicken thighs, which were packed with flavor and had a very moist texture, for our chicken tagine recipe.

Before You Begin

MAKE THE MINUTES COUNT: Immediately start the chicken in the microwave, then mince the onion. Measure out the flour and broth and chop the apricots while the onion cooks.

Tagines are meat stews that feature a blend of sweet and savory ingredients. The dish of chicken will be very hot coming out of the microwave—be sure to set it on a clean, dry surface or trivet, and be careful of hot steam when removing the plastic wrap. Serve the tagine over couscous or rice.

Instructions

    microwave chicken

  1. Season chicken with salt and pepper and arrange in single layer in ­microwave-safe casserole dish. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave on 50 percent power for 15 minutes.
  2. sauté aromatics

  3. While chicken cooks, heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Stir in onion, garam masala, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  4. build sauce

  5. Stir in flour and cook until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in broth, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in tomatoes, apricots, and chickpeas, bring to simmer, and cook until apricots begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
  6. simmer chicken

  7. Reduce heat to low and add microwaved chicken with any accumulated juices. Cover and continue to cook until chicken is tender, about 10 minutes.
  8. finish

  9. Stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

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