STP: Citrus Chicken Tagine

The more orange, the better

January 20, 2025

Hey everyone!

Today I’m making one of my favorite dishes—Citrus Chicken Tagine—using two of my go-to citrus fruits: Meyer lemons and Cara Cara oranges. If you're not familiar with tagine, it’s both a cooking method and a type of dish, often associated with Moroccan cuisine. It typically involves braising meat or fish with fragrant spices, dried fruits, and veggies in a traditional ceramic pot with low sides and a cone-shaped lid.

The cool thing about the tagine pot is that the steam gets trapped at the top of the cone and then releases back into the dish, making the meat super tender. But don’t worry if you don’t have a tagine, most people don’t. Any low-sided braising pan works just fine, it will be just as delicious.

For this recipe, I like to use chicken thighs because they’re more flavorful and can hold up to the longer cooking time without drying out. I also use the whole orange here—because honestly, the more orange, the better. Plus, the smell of it all cooking is amazing and fills the house. This recipe calls for couscous, but feel free to swap in whatever grain you have on hand. It’s also great with jasmine rice, brown rice, quinoa, or even cauliflower rice if you’re going low-carb.

Citrus Chicken Tagine

Photo Credit: Food Network

INGREDIENTS

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

  • 2 tablespoons harissa

  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika 

  • 1 tablespoon ground turmeric 

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin 

  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger 

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander 

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 

  • 1/2 teaspoon cardamom 

  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne 

  • 2 Cara Cara oranges, zested, then cut into 8 pieces

  • 4 tablespoons avocado oil

  • 8 bone-in chicken thighs

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced 

  • 1 small Spanish onion, diced 

  • 1 1/2 cups canned whole tomatoes; hand crushed 

  • 1 cup chicken stock 

  • 1 cup large green olives, pitted 

  • 1/2 cup dried apricots, diced 

  • 1/4 cup chopped preserved lemon 

  • Cooked couscous, for serving 

  • 1 Meyer lemon, thinly sliced 

  • Fresh cilantro and mint leaves, for garnish 

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Heat a wide braising pan or tagine over medium-high heat.

  2. In a small bowl, combine the harissa, paprika, turmeric, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, coriander, allspice, cardamom, cayenne, orange zest, and 2 tablespoons of avocado oil. Stir to form a paste.

  3. Season the chicken with salt and pepper; rub half of the spice mixture on both sides of the thighs.

  4. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of avocado oil to the pan. Sear the chicken skin-side down until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Flip and brown the other side. Remove to a plate.

  5. Add the garlic, onion, and remaining spice mixture to the same pan, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the onions are softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

  6. Return the chicken to the pan along with the tomatoes, chicken stock, olives, apricots, preserved lemon, and sliced oranges, and season with salt and pepper, being careful with the salt. Braise in the oven, partially covered, for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Uncover and continue to braise until the chicken is tender, another 15 to 45 minutes. Serve from the pan over couscous, garnishing with sliced Meyer lemon and whole cilantro and mint leaves.

Pro Tips

  • It’s important that once you place the chicken in the hot pan, you don’t move it. This prevents proper caramelization.

  • Since the olives and preserved lemon are both very salty, be careful not to add too much salt.

  • Before you begin cooking, set out all listed ingredients and chop the onion, garlic, apricots, and preserved lemon.

Equipment Used

  • Wide braising pan

  • Small bowl

  • Wooden spoon

  • Cutting board

  • Chef’s knife

My Revolutionary Nonstick Cast Iron

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