Chicken tagine with potatoes, carrots and figs

Don’t own a tagine? No problem. You can still make this flavoursome Middle Eastern stew in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Add soaked figs to the sauce to add an irresistible sweetness, and pair with a blood orange-spiked couscous for a fresh, citrussy contrast.

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  45 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 400 g chicken thigh fillets, cut into 2 cm chunks
• 125 g ghee, plus extra
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 25 g garlic, roughly chopped
• 5 g fennel seeds
• A good pinch saffron threads
• 1 tbsp salt
• 10 g ground cumin
• 10 g ground coriander
• 10 g Aleppo pepper
• 10 g sweet paprika
• 5 g ground turmeric
• 300 g carrot, roughly chopped
• 300 g peeled waxy potatoes, quartered
• 400 ml hot chicken stock
• 10 dried white figs or baby mini figs, soaked in cold water for 1 hour

For the seasoned flour 

• 100 g plain flour
• 10 g turmeric
• 10 g ground coriander
• 10 g ground cumin
• 15 g salt
• 5 g sweet paprika

For the couscous

• 300 g couscous
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 blood orange, finely zested and juiced
• Salt
• 300 ml boiling water
• 8 g coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp ghee
• 80 g blanched almonds
• ½ small bunch coriander, stalks and leaves finely chopped, plus extra to serve

Soaking time: 1 hour

Resting time: 5 minutes 

Instructions

1. To make the seasoned flour, combine the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Add the chicken thigh and toss well to coat.
2. Heat the ghee in a large, heavy-based saucepan or tagine. Once hot, dust the excess flour from the chicken pieces and sear them in the pan until golden-brown. Remove from the pan, then discard any excess seasoned flour. Pour off any remaining ghee in the pan and discard. Wipe the pan out.
3. Return the pan to the heat with an extra 2 tbsp ghee. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened and translucent, ensuring they do not take on any colour.
4. Stir through the fennel seeds, a pinch of saffron threads and the salt, followed by the remaining ground spices. Stir for 30 seconds, until just warmed through.
5. Add the carrots and potatoes, then return the chicken to the pan. If using a tagine, arrange the carrots, potatoes and chicken decoratively around the tagine. Pour over the hot chicken stock, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, make the couscous. In a large baking dish, combine the couscous, olive oil, orange zest and a generous pinch of salt. Mix gently to combine, then pour over the boiling water. Cover tightly with plastic wrap to steam and allow to stand until the couscous rehydrates.
7. Heat the coriander seeds in a small frying pan until just fragrant, then crush gently in a mortar and pestle. Return the frying pan to the heat with the ghee. Add the almonds and toast until lightly browned, then add a generous pinch of salt and the orange juice. In a large bowl, combine the couscous, toasted nuts and coriander, tossing lightly to combine.
8. Drain the figs, then add to the tagine and cook until the carrots and potatoes are tender, then remove from the heat.
9. Serve the chicken tagine with potatoes, carrots and figs with the couscous on the side. Sprinkle the tagine with extra coriander leaves and serve.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.